It's About Time
by akitokihojo
Summary: Soulmates? Bullshit. Handwriting appearing on Inuyasha's hands? Clear evidence of black magic. But what if it wasn't? Inuyasha was in for one wild ride and he only hoped the person on the other end of the pen ink wanted to know him as badly as he wanted to know her. AU
1. Part 1

"For the love of God, somebody get this bitch a notepad!" Inuyasha slammed his fist on the kitchen counter with enough force from his not-so-bottled up frustration that the mug sitting at the base of the brewing Keurig machine wobbled slightly, the dark roast liquid nearly spilling out. For not the first time this week, neatly-scrawled handwriting had appeared on Inuyasha's left hand, this time as a shopping list. There were even scribbled-in bullet points for added effect.

 _makeup remover_ _mascara_ _almond milk_ _highlighters_

The handwriting was definitely a new thing in Inuyasha's life. In fact, the first time it had happened was a little over a week ago during class when he noticed a flower scrawled in purple ink in between his forefinger and thumb. Later that same day, _9:30 PM_ appeared on his palm and had him paranoid for the rest of the night. What was that even about? It was ominous as fuck.

He figured out the vandal was female about four days ago when _buy_ _tampons_ showed up in the middle of his hand, and he didn't feel the least bit sorry when he rubbed his right thumb vigorously along his palm to erase the words, hoping this weird ass writing thing worked just as well in reverse.

Since Monday, the notes had been showing up more frequently and Inuyasha has subsequently learned more from her history class than from any other history class he had ever taken in his life. He figured she had a test coming up, hence the sloppy, splotchy, what could only be last minute notes. It was midterm season, after all. That being said, history wasn't his major and he couldn't give a flying rats ass what took place during feudal era Japan, so he washed his hands three times for good measure- and also because the bitch used what he could only guess was a sharpie pen.

"Tch. Someone's too good for normal milk, huh?" He chided, grabbing the filled mug of coffee and taking a big chug of the hot, bitter liquid. He set the cup down and walked over to his opened backpack on the kitchen table, grabbing the pen from inside the smaller pocket. "Alright, princess."

"But what did I need paper for?" Kagome muttered as she studied her palm after throwing a pack of multi-colored highlighters into her basket. She clearly didn't remember writing it, and it definitely wasn't necessary considering she'd stocked up on notebooks and sticky notes before the semester had even begun. The handwriting looked nothing like the print above it, but how did that make sense? It was highly unlikely that someone could manage to write on her own hand without her knowing. The mere thought was stupid enough to make Kagome roll her brown eyes. That being said, she still had three empty notebooks sitting off to the side of her desk just waiting to be used, so there was no point in buying more stationary. She was in a hurry while leaving the apartment, and she probably just didn't finish writing what it was that she needed. Which made sense since it wouldn't have been the first time that happened.

Maybe toilet paper? No, Sango had just bought some last week. Paper towels? That would make more sense since they were down to only a roll or two.

Okay. Paper towels it was.

"Inuyasha? Hello? Hellooooooo? Earth to Inuyasha!"

"I'm studying." He said flatly not removing his eyes from the textbook in front of him, his pointed ears twitching with each snap his friend's fingers made in an attempt to get his attention.

"Yeah, but can't you just answer my question?"

"What question?"

"Which shirt!?" Miroku whined, holding out two button-ups by their hangers.

"If I look up and one of the shirts in your hands has hula girls on it, I'm going to punch you."

"Yikes. Purple it is." Miroku flinched, hiding the shirt plastered with dancing hula girls behind his back. Inuyasha sighed and looked at his best friend, cocking an eyebrow in his direction.

"Why are you so nervous? You've been seeing this girl for a month already. Haven't you already gotten her in the sack too?"

"Yes, and it was a fantastic night!" Miroku grinned, perking up as he relished in the memory.

"Spare me the details," Inuyasha groaned, rolling his golden eyes and propping his cheek up with his hand. "So what's so different about tonight?"

"Ah, what a wonderful question, my emotionally impaired friend!"

"Emotionally impaired?"

"You know that old saying about soulmates?"

"Oh no..."

"The one about communicating through hands?"

"Never heard of it."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Miroku smirked, pulling off his t-shirt and shoving his arms through the sleeves of his purple button up. "All I know about it is they say when your soulmate is about to walk into your life, fate gives you a good and solid tug in their direction."

"What?!" Inuyasha grimaced, furrowing his eyebrows in absolute bewilderment.

"I don't know! It's farfetched, that's for sure, but it's true!" Miroku started, rubbing the sides of his temples. "Your hands become, like, this beacon home. It's kind of like the red string of fate that's attached to your pinky transfers over your soulmate's vibrations, but also comes with a few physical implications- for example, paper cuts and questionable love notes. It tickles. It's annoying. It's inconvenient as all hell. It makes it damn near impossible to concentrate when you're trying to do the do, _believe me,_ but, hey, at least you get this cool little instant messenger feature. The fates really got with the times and updated their app. The interesting part is, if this hasn't already sold you, it'll all stop when you've met your person and touch palm-to-palm. According to legend, and apparently Sango's roommate, you're supposed to feel this sense of… peace, I guess."

"Absolutely none of that is physically possible, but okay. What are you getting at with all of this?" Inuyasha asked, shutting his textbook and leaning back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, Sango and I... Geez, this is crazy!" His friend fidgeted with his buttons, fumbling as he tried to get them through the right holes. In all of the years Inuyasha had known Miroku, he'd never once seen him this flustered. Miroku, the ladies' man. Miroku, the captain of one-night stands. Miroku, known for turning the walk-of-shame into the walk-of-game. He was a sweating, mumbling, nervous wreck. "Okay, so I'm over at her apartment for a study date the other night and-" Inuyasha omitted a loud groan, tossing his head back in annoyance.

"No, no! We were actually studying this time, I swear. Anyway, she kept tapping the led part of her pencil against her pinky. Now, at this point I didn't even consider the whole soulmate mumbo jumbo, but I felt this tingly sensation in my finger, as well as the rest of my hand, but it was super strong in my finger. The _same_ finger she was poking! So I itched it. She kept doing it, and I itched my finger some more. Then I guess it just sort of clicked. When I looked over at her to say something she had this strange look, and then she jabbed the fucking pencil into her pinky like a wild maniac, as if to test the silent theory we had going!" He shouted, shoving his bandaged little finger into Inuyasha's face. He flinched backward, nearly toppling over in his chair.

"Can't you get lead poisoning from something like that?"

"Not. The. Point." Miroku firmly stated, clapping between each word. "This soulmate stuff is real! We effectively freaked out, more so from the gushing blood on my end, and her roommate ran in and started laughing after Sango told her what had happened. Evidently, this is well-known information in her world. Truth be told, I'm pretty sure she was laughing at my pain. But, LOOK- I'd heard the stories before, but holy crap, Inuyasha! You never imagine it'd ever happen to you! And now, here I am. Dating a girl that I'm apparently supposed to spend the rest of my life with and I can't even remember her cat's name."

"Miroku-"

"I know you're about to give me some smart-ass remark about the cat thing, dick head, but her cat is very important to her!"

"Okay, geez! Calm down. This really has you fucked up, doesn't it?" Inuyasha asked, cocking an eyebrow in his best friend's direction.

"If you found out your romantic destiny through a pencil wound, wouldn't you be?" He asked, grimacing down at his bandaged finger.

Inuyasha clenched his left hand shut, resisting the temptation to piece the occasional tingling sensation that came with cursive handwriting and history lessons to Miroku's fairytale. He fought the sudden urge to glance down at his palm to see if anything new had appeared, wondering if it was all true; if he actually had some sort of otherworldly connection with another being.

"So, what's the plan tonight?" The half demon slowly asked, trying to keep his thoughts from his own problems.

"Well, we're going on a date. An actual date. I guess we're gonna get serious." Miroku shrugged, looking at his reflection in the large television screen that was secured to the wall and adjusting his collar.

"And did you get that peaceful feeling that you were supposed to get when you touched hands or something? Because you don't look very calm, Miroku."

"Oh, well funny story… we haven't actually held hands."

"Wait, you've gone on how many dates with the girl and you haven't held hands? That's like first base!"

"Inuyasha, you virgin, no one talks about bases anymore! And I'm more for the casual arm-over-shoulder move."

"First of all, yeah, very casual. It's so casual to sweat through a shirt you put on thirty seconds ago." Inuyasha pointed to the sweat marks pooling at Miroku's armpits.

"Son of a-" Miroku quickly unbuttoned the purple top and shrugged out of it to replace it with the hula dancers.

"Second of all, rude. Not a virgin. Have fun holding hands, Mr. Casual!" Inuyasha laughed, reopening his textbook and searching for where he left off.

"Have fun masturbating to the memory of the one woman you've ever slept with, douche canoe!" Miroku fired back as he stumbled out the door, jingling his keys that had far too many keychains attached.

He wanted to say it was bullshit. That any sort of soulmate junk was a thing of fanfiction written by a lonely girl who obsessed over anime characters' love lives, and probably interacted with one boy in her entire, pathetic life. But that didn't explain the annoying writing that had appeared on his left palm multiple times throughout the past nine days. Just because he didn't know the answer, though, didn't mean Inuyasha was willing to accept that he suddenly had a soulmate on the other side of this voodoo.

Wait a second... holy shit.

It clicked. The epiphany hit him so hard, he nearly choked on the spoonful of late-night cereal he'd just shoved in his mouth. He may not believe in soulmates, but he definitely believed in voodoo. He'd had the sincere displeasure of seeing that crap firsthand once, and it scared the absolute shit out of him. And who did he know that was into all that black magic, tarot card reading, future telling, soul-sucking crap? His one and only goth ex-girlfriend.

They didn't exactly end on good terms, either. They were known for their messy fights and half assed makeups, but the biggest reason for their inevitable split lied in her knack for manipulation. He didn't know if she was legitimately talented in the art or if he was just a massive pushover, but she could practically get Inuyasha to do anything he didn't want to do. No matter what she got from him, though, she never seemed satisfied, and when she asked him to ditch his demon side and go full human, courtesy of her witchcraft or some similarly freaky shit, he called it quits.

And Kikyo did not like that.

In his defense, it sounded painful as all hell to have a part of him removed forever. She described it as extracting a fingernail. An entire fingernail. Yanked off. Gone forever. The whole thing. Except, you know, this was a part of his entire identity... So, worse?

Yeah, no thanks.

Inuyasha gazed down at his clean palm cautiously, waiting for it to turn black and fall off now that he'd discovered the truth. What was her goal in all of this? To get him to think they were "meant to be" and have him running back into her arms? He wouldn't put the motive past her. Having dated her for a year and a half, he saw some peculiar sides to the woman, including her vendetta towards all mankind that so much as looked at her wrong.

He groaned, snatching his phone from the corner of the wooden desk he sat at and unlocked it with the pad of his thumb. He clicked on his messages and scrolled through until he saw her name along with the preview of the last unanswered message she'd sent him three months ago _. Stop being stupid, Inu Baby._ He hesitated a moment, sitting on the sick feeling that had crept to the back of his throat, because goddamn, he'd always hated that nickname.

Was he really about to open this door back up? Hell fucking yes, he was. She started this shit.

 _We need to talk._

It took about forty-five seconds to receive a response from her.

 _About?_

Jesus, why did she use eight million question marks?

 _Meet me at the coffee house tomorrow?_

 _I love a good mystery. Can't wait. I have class until 3 so I'll meet you at 3:30?_

 _K_

He hadn't seen her since breaking up, so he definitely wasn't looking forward to the encounter. When he said they didn't end on good terms, he wasn't kidding. She threw shit, he yelled shit, she started crying and then threw some more shit, and he's pretty sure she placed a hex on him because on his walk home, he tripped and fell face first into a literal pile of shit.

Which also may have been a mere coincidence, but he was more than okay with blaming her.

The loud and continuous vibration of his phone tore Inuyasha from his thoughts. He shoved another spoon of cereal in his mouth before peering at the screen and swiping right to answer, putting it on speaker phone.

"You better be calling to apologize." He teased, trying not to chew too loudly into the receiver.

"Oh. Well, I guess I could start with an apology." A girl's voice started, teasing him right back.

"Um... Miroku?" Inuyasha checked the screen of his phone again, seeing his best friend's name in small, white letters across the top.

"Not quite." She giggled. Why did he like the sounds of it? "I'm Sango's roommate. I'm going to guess you know who Sango is?"

"Romantic destiny? I've heard of her."

"Exactly! Well, Miroku is clearly handling it all very well. So well, in fact, that he's not at all hammered on the floor in our living room at the moment." She chimed, gasping as Miroku's obnoxious voice came belting into Inuyasha's sensitive ears, the rustling sound making it clear that he'd snatched the phone away from the girl.

"Dude. Bro. I love you, man. If soulmates for best buddies existed, you'd be mine. Best friends for life and all that shit, bro."

"Mirokuuuuuu!" Another girl whined in the background. "Come eat this popcorn with me and leave Kagoooome alooooooooone!"

"So, about that apology... Is now a good time to give it to you or should I save it for when you come pick him up?" The girl's voice asked, the hint of embarrassment in her tone.

"You said he was on the floor."

"No, I said he was _not_ on the floor." She giggled again. There was a faint fluttering in his chest at the sound.

"But he _is_ hammered?" Inuyasha asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. For sure."

"Save it for when I get there."

"Will do. I'll text you the address, kay?"

He grunted a sound of affirmation and hung up, looking down at the phone in his hand. He knew he should have felt annoyed at having to go out in the middle of the night and pick up the mess that was his best friend, and normally he would be. Instead, he felt abnormally anxious to go get him. Almost as if he was looking forward to it.

The text with the address came in and Inuyasha swiveled around in his chair to snag the jeans he'd carelessly thrown on the floor earlier, pushing his legs through and fastening them at his toned waist. He grabbed the red pullover hoody from the hook attached to the back of his bedroom door and pulled it over his bare chest, knowing the late October air would be chilly but manageable with what he had on.

"Please tell me you didn't walk here?" Kagome asked, leaning against the door frame. She casually looked the man standing in the hallway of her apartment building up and down, the palms of her hands suddenly becoming sweaty as she noted his entirely too-handsome face and broad physique. She watched him smirk and raise an eyebrow as he rubbed his hands along the sides of his pants.

"I walked." He nodded.

"It's freezing outside!" She opened the door wider so that he could come in, the passing scent of him causing a tingling sensation to grow in her stomach. She rubbed her own hands on her shorts to wipe off any evidence of the moisture that always built up when she was nervous and shut the door behind him. "You're Inuyasha, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Kagoooooome?" He teased, giving another smirk in her direction. Holy crap, who was this guy?

"Only on their date nights. On an average night, I'm Kagome." She gave an awkward laugh, instantly hating herself for how annoying it sounded, the tickling rising from her stomach to her lungs.

"I figured I'd walk here and drive Miroku's car back. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"The living room." Kagome pointed, looking him over once more as he turned and walked away, his long, silver hair falling over his red sweater and landing at his waist. His slightly baggy jeans a faded blue with a rip in the right knee that she couldn't quite tell was part of the design or something he'd accidentally done himself. His toned build was evident even through the baggy clothes, and she bit her lip to resist audibly wow-ing, following him in.

"Inuyasha! Look, Sango, Inuyasha's here!" Miroku jumped up from his seat on the couch, the bowl of popcorn in his lap spilling to the floor. Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes, watching as his roommate stumbled around, noticeably debating between running over to Inuyasha or cleaning up his mess. The girl on the couch, no doubt Sango, doubled over with a high-pitched laugh.

He looked over to Kagome who leaned against the wall, her arms hugged across her chest as she bit back a laugh. She wore a loose tee with some band's logo across the front with green, plaid pajama shorts, her long, pale legs catching his attention for a little too long.

"So, tell me why it's you that's apologizing for this." He crossed his own arms over his chest, fidgeting slightly as an unsettling sensation rose from his chest and down his arms.

"Well, I didn't pay too much attention to how drunk they were when they got back from their date, so I didn't think to stop them from drinking more. They took a few shots and almost finished a twelve pack in the last hour and a half." Kagome replied bashfully, shrugging her shoulders and biting her plump, bottom lip. "Would you like it now?"

"Now's good." Inuyasha nodded as Miroku stumbled closer to him with the normal, goofy grin he wore when he was wasted.

"Inuyasha, I am so incredibly sorry!"

He gripped his hands into a fist, the sensation dive bombing into his already-sweaty palms as she said his name. Jesus Christ, what was this girl doing to him?

"Another reason I didn't bring my car: if he pukes, it's his interior he's wrecking. And hopefully that shirt." Inuyasha gestured towards the button up Miroku donned, trying to keep his mind off of anything foreign and nerve-wracking his body felt right now while holding his arm out to grip Miroku's shoulder, simultaneously holding him up and keeping him at arms-length distance. Kagome giggled, running her fingers through her hair to push the long, ebony strands from her fair face.

"Again, I'm _really_ sorry. It wouldn't have been a problem if he stayed the night, but I'm 99% positive they'll both throw up everything in a few hours, and it's hard enough to stay up and hold one head of hair back when you have a test first thing in the morning, let alone two."

Inuyasha tried not to glance over at Kagome, his peripherals picking up enough of her as it was. She was standing with her hands clasped in front of her, her cheeks a slight pink, and her big, brown eyes aimed directly at him. He could hardly pin the blame on her, but he knew he'd never get the apology he deserved from the wobbling drunk in front of him. He focused his amber gaze on the girl on the opposite side of the couch, playing with the popcorn that had spilt on the carpet, making two pieces hop closer to one another while making obnoxious kissing noises.

"Uh… Are you sure it's only alcohol in their system?" Inuyasha asked, side glancing Kagome.

"Yeah." She replied, drawing out the word. "Sango's just a lightweight, I promise. This is normal."

"Normal? Maybe I should be the one apologizing to you."

"I'd appreciate it."

"I'm so sorry, Kagooome." Inuyasha finally looked directly at the girl, drinking in the sight as she grinned his way. She was biting her bottom lip again, rubbing her hands in front of her waist and shrugging in response. His palms prickled, and he resisted the urge to rub them along the sides of his pants since he was currently the only thing standing between Miroku and gravity.

What the hell was it with his hands nowadays? He'd never been good around attractive women, to be frank, but he was never a nervous wreck either. Sweaty, itchy palms weren't his thing. Basic discomfort and avoiding eye contact were! Inuyasha quickly glanced over at his left hand, wondering if the tingling mess that was beginning to really irritate him didn't happen to be Kikyo writing more messages to fuck with his head. Blank. Nothing. Unless the sweat had done him the solid favor of wiping the slate clean.

Miroku started to fidget his way closer to Inuyasha, wrapping his arms around his neck and snuggling onto his shoulder.

"Crap. Don't you dare fall asleep, Miroku! We've gotta get you to the car!" Inuyasha struggled to stand Miroku up to hold his own weight, his drunken friend smiling stupidly and swaying on his feet. "Any idea where his keys are?"

"My soulmate has them!" Miroku said all too happily, pointing behind him to Sango.

"Sango, honey. Can we have Miroku's car keys? He has to get going now." Kagome moved from her spot against the wall and crouched down next to her roommate. Sango hesitated a moment, a child-like pout forming on her face. "He'll come back to see you. He just has to go home for now. See, his nice friend came to get him."

"Okay, fiiiiine." Sango whined, the pout getting deeper as she crawled over to her purse on the opposite side of the living room to fish out the keys. Inuyasha quickly looked up towards the ceiling, heat pooling in his cheeks as he avoided the sight of his best friend's girlfriend's short dress ride up along her ass.

The sound of jingling metal a few inches from his ear caught his attention, his amber eyes meeting deep brown as Kagome jingled them once more and smiled. "Here you are! Oh!" She walked away, disappearing around a wall for a small moment, and came back out with a phone in her hand. "Miroku's phone. I had to hide it from him at one point. He said all he wanted to do was call you nine times to express just how much he loved _and_ hated you."

"… You're kidding." Inuyasha grimaced, shifting his so-called friend's arm over his shoulder so he could steady his balance.

"If I were, I wouldn't have just gotten his phone from the kitchen cupboard where I hid it."

"I owe you one."

"We'll call it even." She flashed him another smile, his stomach twisting into a painful knot at the obnoxiously cute sight.

Kagome followed Inuyasha outside, pressing the _unlock_ button twice on the bulky key in her hands as they approached Miroku's car, and opened the passenger side door. She watched him get his friend situated and buckled into the front seat, and groan as the overly affectionate drunk ran his fingers through Inuyasha's hair mumbling something about how soft it was. She hid her laugh behind her hand, trying not to make the situation worse for the half demon in front of her.

He slammed the door shut and let out an annoyed sigh, holding out his hand for the car keys.

"So they really took this soulmate thing well, didn't they?" Inuyasha asked as Kagome dropped the keys into his open palm.

"Worse than some." She replied, backing up a little so that she stood out of his way.

"You don't actually believe in this shit though, right?"

"What?"

"I mean, isn't it just a little too convenient that they find out their soulmates _after_ they'd already been dating? Not to mention, the fact that there's supposedly one person in this world you're meant to be with and _fate_ has already chosen them out for you or something stupid like that?" He huffed, waving his hands dismissively.

Kagome felt a sudden heat bubbling in her stomach, standing up straighter and adjusting her shoulders back in automatic defense. "Actually, I do."

"You do, what?"

"Believe in this soulmate _shit or something stupid like that_." She mocked. Kagome watched his dark brows furrow closer together in slight agitation, his red sleeves crossing over his chest as he leaned more weight on one leg than the other.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "Name one couple you've met that are soulmates other than Miroku and Romantic Destiny."

"My parents." She responded firmly, crossing her own arms as if to match his demeanor. He was silent for a moment, before rolling his eyes and turning back to walk towards the driver's side.

"You're a walking cliché, you know that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone thinks their parents are soulmates. I meant someone you've seen this shit happen to."

"It's a rare thing, Inuyasha!"

"Probably because it isn't real!"

"Geez, you are so irritating! Not everyone gets to meet their soulmate because sometimes they're on the other side of the globe! This kind of stuff only happens when you're about to mee- Hey! Are you even listening?"

"Nope!" Inuyasha shut his door, turning on the car and rolling down his window. "You should get inside. You're in shorts and Romantic Destiny could be puking up the popcorn that had sex."

"Her name is SANGO!" Kagome shouted, frustrated beyond belief that someone who came off as so charming not even ten minutes ago could suddenly appear so rude.

"Later, Kagoooooome!" He shouted, pulling out of the parking spot and slowly driving away.

"IT'S KAGOME!"

Inuyasha leaned back in the seat of his car, scrolling through the social media app he never used. He was already more than ten minutes late for their meet up, and he relished in the idea of Kikyo seething in irritation as each second passed.

His motive was simple, really. She hated when he was late. He loved to piss her off.

When the clock struck _3:47_ and he'd grown bored of the pointless pictures and song quote captions, he locked his phone and stepped out of his car, eyeing the small coffee shop he'd parked down the street from. He swallowed the unsettling lump that built in his throat, resisting the fight or flight response that flared in his brain at the thought of seeing his ex-girlfriend just beyond those walls.

He was just going to have to get this over with. Like a band-aid, right? Yeah, just rip this shit off like an overly-adhesive, medical-grade band-aid.

He chirped the alarm of his car as he walked toward the coffee house, slipping his phone, keys, and hands into the front pockets of his faded jeans. The afternoon air was chilly, the sky cloudy and gloomy, and he'd neglected to bring a jacket since he was stuck in classes all morning which were typically heated a little too well with all the bodies accumulated in the classroom.

Entering the shop, he looked to the semi-busy seating area of the place and spotted her long, black hair immediately. She sat at her usual, small table against the abstract wall. The painting was gaudy at best, and it always bothered his eyes to look at. He nodded to the barista, giving a small wave to indicate he wouldn't be staying long so no coffee was needed, and begrudgingly headed towards the girl. She was in her normal attire: black on top of black on top of black. Combat boots, tight jeans, low cut shirt, and a loose, knitted cardigan to top it all off. As he neared, he noticed the choker he'd bought for her birthday last year with her initials engraved on the heart that sat in between the curves of her collarbones.

"Knock it off." Inuyasha's voice was low so as not to attract the attention of onlookers as he aggressively pulled the empty chair away from the small, circular table Kikyo sat at, plopping himself into the open chair and crossing his arms over his chest. If she was surprised, which he highly doubted, she didn't show it. Her black-lined, dark eyes gazed across at him, her thin fingers wrapped around the medium-sized cup in front of her. He could smell the overwhelming ginger and honey from her tea seeping from the small opening in the top.

"Knock what off?" She asked innocently, cocking a thin eyebrow at him and smirking.

"Don't play dumb. I've figured it all out, Kikyo. I know it's you, so knock it off." He barked, resisting the urge to slide his chair further away from her.

"Did you just ask me here to accuse me of something, or did you actually want to talk?" Kikyo questioned, her annoyance becoming a little more evident as she took a quick sip of her tea and sat up straighter.

"The former. There's been weird shit showing up on my hand and I can't help but suspect you given your history with… weird shit."

Kikyo rolled her eyes, tapping her red-painted fingernail against the sleeve of the disposable cup. "I haven't done anything to you, let alone to your hands. Why would I only target your hands of all things?"

"I don't know. Maybe to trick me into thinking we're soulmates so I'd come running back to you?"

Kikyo laughed, shaking her head in amusement while her eyes never left Inuyasha's. He couldn't help but feel both concerned and confused. Either he was right on the money or so wrong it was humorous, which was never actually all that funny to him.

"Since when do you believe in soulmates, Inu baby?"

"I-I don't." He was caught off guard. The last thing he'd expected was for her to laugh at him, mostly because humor wasn't her thing.

"I'm innocent. If I were to do something to mess with your head, you think I'd do something as simple as that?"

Okay, valid point.

"T-then… what _would_ you do?" He regretted asking it the second the words slipped from his mouth.

"I don't know, Inuyasha. You broke my heart, so if I _were_ to go through all this trouble I'd probably put something like boils all over that pretty face of yours. Maybe even make you experience the chicken pox since your demon side gives you an unfair immunity."

"I'm half human, Kikyo, I've had the chicken pox."

"Better yet, I'd make you have a year's worth of bad dates just for dumping me the way you did. It's only fair." Kikyo mentioned in her typical, casual, pleasant tone, as if what she'd just said was completely normal.

Inuyasha felt his body begin to rise on its own as he rolled his golden eyes and grunted something short of a growl. His feet had been itching to leave since the moment he'd shown up, and he wasn't about to sit there and be treated as if he were the bad guy for defending himself. He really did care for Kikyo before. He wouldn't go so far as to say he'd fallen in love or anything, but when you date someone you constantly disagree with for a year and a half, you can't deny there were strong feelings keeping them together. But by the time he'd called it quits, he'd taken over the reasonable amount of crap anyone should have to take in a relationship and it wasn't right that she claimed to be the victim of it.

A tingling sensation on his left palm caused him to stop as he was sliding the empty chair towards the table to close the gap he once filled. He looked down and watched as _history test-8am-blue building_ wrote itself out along his flesh in purple ink, then glanced back up to the woman sipping her overly-pungent tea.

"You mean to tell me this shit isn't your doing?" Inuyasha demanded, shoving his hand closer to her so that she could take a look at the neatly-scrawled words that had just appeared. Kikyo's face was unreadable at first, her lips forming a flat line as she cocked her head slightly to read the note he was showing her. Then her eyebrows furrowed together as she shot him an accusing glare, her fingers gripping so hard against the paper cup she'd been holding the whole time that the sides dented slightly.

"Why are you showing me this?" She asked, sounding more than offended.

"Kikyo, I kno-"

"It isn't me!" She loudly declared, gathering the attention of nearby college students that sat at similarly-sized tables with their laptops open. She let go of the cup and stretched out her open palms, showing him her clean, pale skin. "Don't you get that by now, Inuyasha?"

He stood there, his amber eyes and heavy gaze shifting back and forth from her hands to his own. She was sitting right in front of him the whole time, there was absolutely no way she could have been working on some sort of spell to make the writing appear. What if it was the lingering effect of one, though? But if she wanted to make it seem as if they were soulmates, wouldn't the same notes be written on her own palm?

Kikyo huffed incredulously, grabbing her messenger bag from the side of her chair and standing up, hooking the strap over her shoulder and snatching her tea as she began to walk away.

"Wai- Where are you going?" Inuyasha called after her.

She turned around sharply, her dark eyes stabbing him. "I came here because you asked me to; because I thought you wanted to talk. Instead, it looks like you just want to rub it in my face that you have a soulmate and _it isn't me._ "

"Soulmates don't exist!" He fired back, the entire coffee shop now watching the scene on display.

"Oh my god, you're such an idiot! You always try to find a logical explanation for things. No, better yet, you always try to pin the blame on someone when you don't understand something. But you can't this time, Inu. Face it, this is as real as it gets. It's literally written on your hand for you to see. I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you that." She shook her head, her straight, black bangs hardly hiding her hurt expression.

Kikyo's book bag nearly whipped a boy that sat in the middle of the coffee shop as she did an about face and marched off. They continued to stare, some towards the entrance as the door swung shut behind her, but most at him for being the asshole that caused a girl to storm out.

This was crazy. Kikyo was making sense and Inuyasha was actually considering that soulmates were a real thing. Maybe it was possible for everyone else around him, but he never imagined that it would, or even _could,_ happen to him. Voodoo was officially ruled out. Kikyo was officially ruled out. So what the hell was happening?

"Feh. Show's over." He grunted, aggressively pushing his chair further into the table and stomping out the doors as the audiences' eyes continued to follow him.


	2. Part 2

"Miroku, get your bitch ass up!" Inuyasha bellowed from the entrance of their apartment, not caring in the least how hungover his roommate was. He slammed the door for further effect, waiting to hear the pained groan come from the room down the hall.

It was sweet music to his ears after the shit he'd gone through the night before just to bring him home. He'd never felt so violated in his life thanks to the drunk bastard and his wandering hands.

Dropping his backpack in the doorway, he walked down the hall, throwing Miroku's bedroom door open to see the darkened room with empty water bottles littered everywhere. His friend laid in the center of his queen-sized mattress, the blankets hardly covering his mostly undressed body, with a pillow over his head in an effort to block out any and all noise.

Not today, mother fucker.

"Miroku! Get up!"

"Noooooo." He whined, clutching his pillow tighter. Inuyasha stomped over to the mattress and ripped the pillow out of his friend's hands, hitting him with it three times for good measure. "Okay, ouch! Alright! I'm up!"

"Oh good, you're awake. I need your help."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? My head is throbbing, no thanks to you, and I'm in the I-regret-everything stage of hungover." Miroku stated, his voice low and broken, and his eyes glued shut as he reached aimlessly for the pillow that once covered his face.

"No, it can't wait. I have a problem. A _huge_ problem." Inuyasha answered, making sure the pillow he'd stolen was well out of reach.

"What did you do, Inuyasha?"

"I didn't _do_ anything!"

"Then why do you need help?" Miroku gave in, finally sitting up. He squinted as the dimmed light from the clouds and his black-out curtains made it hard for his eyes to focus.

"Look." Inuyasha shoved his hand in Miroku's face, giving him an extra moment as his eyes adjusted to being open for the first time in over twelve hours.

"What am I looking at?"

" _Look_ , Miroku!" He pushed his hand even closer, causing his roommate to lean back so he could actually read what was written.

"That's very nice handwriting, Inuyasha. I see you've been working on your literate skills." Miroku stated sarcastically. Inuyasha hit him in the head with the pillow.

"No, asshole, look at it! Do I take a history class?"

"…No?"

"Then why would I need to take a history test at eight in the morning in the blue building?" Inuyasha spewed, clenching his hands shut as everything seemed to become more real as he spoke about it. He watched Miroku's face slowly light up as his lips inched upwards in an all-too-amused smile.

"No fucking way!" Miroku howled, clutching his sides as he bent forward laughing.

"There it is."

"Holy shit, no fucking way!"

"Yup."

"Who the hell is this lucky, lucky woman?" Miroku asked enthusiastically, grabbing at Inuyasha's hand to study the note again.

"No clue. But I met with Kikyo today and it isn't her." He shrugged, slumping down beside his friend on the mattress.

"Not to be rude, but a part of you actually thought it was _?"_

"No! I thought it was black magic and she was trying to fuck with me, Miroku! She doesn't exactly have a soft spot for me, you know, and up until twenty minutes ago I thought this soulmates crap was horse shit." Inuyasha argued, flailing his arms about again in agitation.

"And?" Miroku inquired, reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing one of the half-drunken bottles of water.

"Just what I said: It isn't her. No sorcery, no mind games, no Kikyo. I officially have no fucking clue what's going on." He admitted, his eyes glazing over as he stared off at the wall across the room.

"It's freaky shit, my friend." Miroku agreed, patting Inuyasha on the back. "You're one of us now."

"What am I supposed to do with this, though?" The half demon asked, gesturing back to the purple ink on his palm.

"I think you're supposed to find her, Inuyasha." Miroku suggested, standing out of bed and grabbing his sweatpants off the floor, pulling them on over his boxer shorts. "She has a history test tomorrow, right? Sango's roommate majors in history and might even have the same midterm. I can talk to her and see if she can scout out the girls for you!"

Inuyasha grimaced, wrinkling his nose and giving a small shake of his head.

"Hard pass."

"What?"

"Nope, can't do that."

"Inuyasha, why can't we do that?" Miroku's brows furrowed in question as he slowly turned to his friend, the look of realization broadening his features. "Inuyasha, what did you do!?"

"I didn't do anything!" Inuyasha responded defensively. "All I did was tell her it wasn't real, and she went off the deep end!"

Miroku rubbed his temples, rolling his violet eyes back and sighing. "If I know you, _which I do,_ you probably challenged her to an argument, thoroughly pissed her off, and left her hanging by saying something sarcastic and-or stupid, am I right?"

"No, that's not true. Nothing that comes out of my mouth is stupid."

Miroku tore the pillow from Inuyasha's unsuspecting grip and hit him over the head with it. "I can't take you anywhere!"

"Ah! Okay! First of all, I went over to get _you_ , not the other way around! Second, what's the big deal? You're dating Sango, not her best friend!"

Miroku sighed again, shrugging in defeat. "It just makes life easier when everyone gets along. And she could have helped you."

"Relax. I'm not that eager to see who's on the other side of this. Not everyone's meant to be together, Miroku. Not even if it's in the cards, or however the saying goes."

"You mean to tell me that you believe in soulmates now but _don't_ believe that soulmates are supposed to be together?" Miroku inquired, snagging his phone from the top of his dresser before finishing off another half-drunken bottle of water.

Inuyasha groaned, finding the complexity of the situation too confusing and frustrating to deal with at one time. If he was honest, he didn't know what to believe. Not too long ago, he was a firm non-believer, so it's naturally overwhelming to suddenly be forced over to the dark side and try to process all the scenarios that could or could not happen. Inuyasha had never seen a solid and firm relationship work out in his life. His dad died before he was even born, and his mom never remarried before she passed away when he was ten. He'd like to say his asshole of a half-brother was a shining example in the love department, but his form of affection is a grunt in his wife's direction as he passes by in the hall. Inuyasha doesn't know how he's kept a wife for as long as he has, but the bastard was one lucky man to have a woman accept a brick wall for a husband.

He and Miroku had been best friends since junior high, and as soon as the guy hit puberty he utilized his deeper voice and heightened testosterone levels to their fullest potential. This is the first time Inuyasha's seen the pervert actually _like_ the girl he's been sleeping with.

Ultimately, it all boils down to one thing. The one thing he'd been ridiculed for since childhood. Inuyasha was a half breed. His father was a high-standing, pure-blooded demon and his mother was a loving and compassionate human. It was something Inuyasha was well familiar with, having to deal with the controversy of being of mixed-race for as long as he could remember. Sure, there was a time the questions and slurs stung, but what hurt most was seeing his mother cry over something nobody could control. So he hardened up, took the beatings, swallowed everyone's dumb ass opinions, and never complained about it again. Soon enough, he hardly even noticed that he was neither this nor that. Until someone asked him to become one over the other.

What if it happened again? What if the person he was "meant to be with" didn't accept him as he was? Just because you're connected by something, doesn't mean you like one another by default. The stress just wasn't worth it to Inuyasha.

"Anyway," He shifted uncomfortably. Wanting the attention off of him, he pointed at the cell phone in Miroku's hand. "How's it going with you and Romantic Destiny?"

"Shut up," Miroku groaned, sitting on the rolling chair nearby that swiveled as his weight was applied, and scrolling through the notifications. "You know how last night went and you know I'm too hungover to talk about it."

"Hah! You can't give me any shit if you can't even handle an actual date!" Inuyasha boasted.

Miroku tossed the pillow at him, missing by a good foot and hitting the wall with a decent amount of force. "It's more than just that!"

"Okay, so…?"

Miroku sat forward a little too quickly, wrinkling his nose in pain and rubbing his forehead. His lips formed a slight frown, the expression on his face becoming serious and sullen. He pressed the button on the side of his phone, the device making a clicking sound resembling an actual lock being turned, and slid it to the far side of the wooden desk beside him. "It's just weird, okay? I like Sango. I like her a lot. There's something about her that makes me want to stay by her side for however long I can, which is strange on its own so don't give me any shit about it. I just wish it didn't take fate, or whatever, to tell me who I'm gonna be with for the rest of my life. We held hands. It's all set in stone. It's relieving to be completely honest, because I can think again, but it's just so hard to get over the initial shock of it all."

"You guys didn't notice all of this weird shit when you first met?"

"Yeah, actually. The tingling in my hands was just so subtle, it was easy to push to the back of my mind. I thought I just had a pinched nerve in my shoulder or something."

"Tingling?" Inuyasha asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I've mentioned it before. You don't feel anything?" Miroku asked in response.

"I do, actually, and it's annoying as all hell. It's definitely more like needles to me! How do you ignore this shit?"

"Are you sure you just aren't being dramatic?"

"Shut up." He flipped Miroku the bird, deciding he was done and rising to his feet, marching out of the cluttered bedroom while keeping his finger up in the air as he slowly closed the door behind him.

Inuyasha let out an annoyed huff, scrolling through the term paper he was working on and praying that his laptop program was catching all of the spelling and grammatical errors he was too tired to notice. He had to allow a week to pass before he felt comfortable stepping back into his favorite coffee house again. Sure, silver hair and dog ears are enough to expose him to anyone who knows what to look for, but that wasn't what he was concerned about. One week was the well-known minimum courtesy time for blowouts in public spaces.

His brain was fried. He was notorious for last-minute homework assignments, but he was always pretty good at getting the important shit done in a timely manner. He'd been so distracted by the unrelenting sensations in his hands that it was damn near impossible for him to get anything done lately. He'd wake up in the middle of the night to it, he couldn't focus during lectures because of it, and the only thing that allowed him any form of relief was playing video games because the vibration from the controller would overpower it. He always lost, though, because if he couldn't feel that damn twitch in his palm he'd irrationally grow concerned that something bad had happened to his unknown partner and drop the controller altogether.

Even now, he balled his fingers into fists, trying to subdue the irritating prickling that held his attention day and night.

"Truce." The tingling leapt from his hands and plummeted into his stomach as he glanced up from the screen of his laptop and into the brown eyes of Sango's roommate. She held out a large, white cup, the scent of the dark-roasted coffee inside perking his senses just enough to feel a little more awake. A brown sleeve protected her fingers from the heat as she continued to hold it out to him, a small smile curving her pink lips upwards. "Something tells me you like your coffee black."

"Why are you calling a truce?" Inuyasha asked, hesitant to take the gift even though he was practically drooling for the extra life source.

"Well, because your best friend is my best friend's… boyfriend. Something tells me we may be seeing a little more of each other from now on and it would be easier to hang out if we got along, wouldn't it?"

His right hand felt hot, like the blood was boiling just beneath his skin, and he fidgeted to discreetly hide it between his leg and the chair he sat on.

"Look, let's just agree to disagree. Plenty of people believe and plenty don't. It's not a big deal, right?" Kagome shrugged.

Except he believed now, but he'd be damned if he admitted that to the girl he made an ass out of himself too.

"I can add cream and sugar if I was wrong about your order." She tried again, still holding the cup in her outstretched arm. The heat continued to flow through his hand, the flow of blood- or lack thereof- from being wedged between his thigh and the wooden chair not helping to relieve the discomfort.

"No… uh… I like it black. Thank you." He reached for the cup, the warmth from the contained liquid radiating through the paper walls and protective sleeve. Kagome rewarded him with a bright smile just before the slight graze of their fingers sent electricity racking through his entire system, causing Inuyasha's spine to jolt up straight and nearly drop the coffee. Suddenly, all he could see was her. There were images playing out in his mind of her smiling and laughing, sighing his name while her fingers were entwined with his own clawed hand, the sound of her voice causing that feeling that swam in his stomach to expand and stretch painfully.

Oh fuck, he was gonna be sick.

Kagome gasped, quickly withdrawing her hand, holding it to her chest protectively while she noticeably paled and stared at him in wonder. He wanted to ask her if she felt it too, but his brain couldn't seem to form words. He just stared back at her, mirroring the same damn look she gave him.

"I-uh… H-have to get going." She muttered, a nervous smile twitching at her lips. Pushing a strand of black hair behind her ear, she spared Inuyasha one last, quick glance before turning towards the exit and pushing her way through.

He gave it a moment, his fingers still curled around the large cup while his mouth hung slightly agape. His golden eyes darted back and forth around the room, wondering if anyone else had just seen what happened; if anyone else had noticed the sudden, fierce, terrifying, palpable tension between him and Kagome. No one batted an eye in his direction.

Oh. Good.

He counted backwards from five, slowly packing up his belongings and not at all freaking out.

Four. He gently closed his laptop, sliding it into the large pouch of his backpack.

Three. Inuyasha zipped his bag shut.

Two. He took a small sip of the dark roast, setting the cup back on the now-empty surface of the circular table he sat at.

One. Inuyasha stood up with urgency, swinging the strap of his bag over his shoulder and shoving his cell phone into his pocket. He raced towards the double doors, pushing them open with too much force and speed walking to his car parked down the road, cursing under his breath in pace with each step he took.

The drive back to his apartment was quick. Not minding the speed limit and bypassing stop signs will do that for you. He continued to swear as he fumbled with the keys to the front door, almost dropping them at one point, and then fumbling some more until the deadbolt clicked unlocked and Miroku peered at him through the open crack.

"Inuyash-"

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." The half demon pushed passed his friend, power-walking his way down the hall and slamming his bedroom door shut behind him.

Nope. No way. No.

What was that sparky thing about? He's touched plenty of people before and that shit has never happened. So why now? Logically, his first thought was a simple case of static electricity, but static electricity doesn't do _that._

The tension that surfaced wasn't resonating from their stupid, petty argument a week ago. It wasn't from the awkward truce she wanted. It wasn't from any sort of animosity whatsoever, mainly because he had absolutely nothing against the girl. It was different. It was the type of tension that flooded your chest with warmth and sent a fluttering sensation throughout your abdomen, _clearly_ resembling the flu or something.

A flu he wanted to bask in for the rest of his existence.

No. Stop that.

Inuyasha felt like he was going into shock, his thoughts racing a mile a minute as he paced back and forth in his bedroom wondering what the fuck was happening to him and what he was even supposed to do about it. Was it _her?_ No way. A guy like him couldn't get that lucky. But what if it was? He shouldn't be happy about that, he hardly knew the chick. She could be a lunatic whose prey was unsuspecting men. It's the small girls you've got to look out for, even a half demon like Inuyasha knew that.

He had to know. Wait, what the fuck happened to _not_ wanting that bit of information?

Okay, and why the hell didn't she say anything before taking off like that? She was the one that was so adamant about the existence of soulmates!

So maybe that wasn't the case here. Maybe this pill that was hard to swallow in the first place had idiotically taken over his every thought, so now he was jumping to irrational conclusions over some stupid static shock. Kagome was not his damn soulmate. It was not Kagome.

It _could_ be Kagome.

No. Shit.

Inuyasha was going crazy. He sat on the edge of his bed, cradling his head in his hands for a brief moment before launching back to his feet.

Fuck this. He had to know.

Snatching a pen from the mess on his desk, he clicked the top down so the ballpoint stuck out.

 _Who are you?_

Kagome sat at her small kitchen table staring down at her left hand with wide eyes. The tingling never once left her fingers, and the anxiety had her leg uncontrollably bouncing up and down. The words had appeared just as she'd slumped down in her seat, her breathing coming and going irregularly as she continued to stare at the sloppy handwriting.

She'd noticed the sensations throughout the past couple of weeks, but never thought twice about it. She'd noticed how strong and off-putting it had become over the past few days but dismissed it all almost too easily. She was stressed. She had tests to take and papers to write. It was common to blame midterm season for bodily ailments.

For someone whose family worked at a shrine and was all about the great divine, spirituality, and destiny, how could she not have seen the signs for her own case _?_ In her defense, though, they weren't plain as day. For instance, no one had jabbed a pencil into her finger like _someone_ she knew.

Maybe she was wrong. What had happened with Inuyasha had to be purely coincidental. It couldn't have been _him._ If it were, he wouldn't be dumb enough to be asking who she was right now.

But then that posed another issue… Who _was_ the person on the other end of this? She had a bad tendency to draw and scribble notes on her hands, even with notebooks surrounding her. When, exactly, did this all begin? How much had he seen? Kagome couldn't help the flood of humiliation that washed over her, slouching against the table and burying her face in her hands. What if she'd drawn something super embarrassing or written something incredibly stupid? They could base their entire judgment on her off of her dumb, bad habits, and then what? Laugh at her when they finally met?

Great.

 _Inuyasha_.

Wrong. She had to stop thinking about him! How could an idiot like that possibly be her soulmate? The signs eventually become so obvious they're impossible to ignore, so even a stubborn guy like him couldn't be so self-righteous in swearing soulmates weren't a real thing if he was on the opposite end.

 _Inuyasha_.

Oh man, she was in deep. Yes, she could admit he was very attractive. Yes, he was nice… at first. Yes, the first time she'd heard his voice through the phone her stomach did a few flips. Even after their dumb argument, she found herself looking around the courtyard on campus for him. She wasn't even sure they went to the same school. Actually, she wasn't sure he was even in school up until this afternoon when she saw him struggling to work on an assignment at the coffee shop. That never stopped her from looking around for him wherever she went. The hallways, the libraries, the grocery store…

Kagome let out a pained whine, hoping it would provide at least a little relief from her situation. It was just a crush, but it was a crush at the most inconvenient time. When she met the guy she was supposed to be with, would she end up disappointed? She'd never heard of someone being upset to find out who their soulmate was, but was it a possibility? Has someone ever found their person, said a solid "nope," and walked away?

She sat up straight, taking in a steady breath and shaking out her hands to numb the prickling. She knew the question written on her palm still needed answering, but the thought was terrifying. That would mean connecting with whomever it was. There would be no turning back. Was she ready for that? Sure, every girl dreams of the day their hands tell them their romantic fate, but she never imagined it would be this scary or annoying. Or that it would actually happen. It was such a rare occurrence, Kagome almost felt guilty that she wasn't excited.

Should she answer? A thick feeling crept into Kagome's stomach, curling up and settling there as she began to feel ill.

She rose to stand, her legs unsteady beneath her body weight, and walked towards the kitchen sink. Turning on the faucet, she stuck her hands under the running water to wash them clean.


	3. Part 3

Miroku retracted his arm from Sango's shoulder, rolling his head back against the cushion of the couch and groaning loudly. It wasn't often that he was at a loss, being the type that could break the ice like an actual elephant, but this time was different. His best friend was _sulking_. Actually and legitimately sulking. Locking-himself-in-his-room, mumbling-words, hanging-his-head-in-defeat sulking. He'd approached the situation jokingly at first, which was probably the worst thing he could have done. Hell, he'd never seen Inuyasha look so dejected before, even after breaking up with Kikyo, so it was perfectly understandable that he almost thought he was being pranked. Once he'd realized how serious this was, Miroku tried a more tender approach. He brought home comfort food, offered some distracting video game time, and even forked up the cash for a bottle of expensive whiskey to help Inuyasha relax and start talking. All of which were rejected.

He'd decided that two weeks was long enough, and it was time to take drastic measures. Enter Sango. After another failed attempt at coaxing Inuyasha out of his brooding stupor, he dashed out into the forty-degree weather, hopped into his car and drove straight to Sango's apartment. It was against the "Bro Code" to spill about a friend's personal life, but he didn't know what else to do and thought a woman's touch was all the guy needed.

By the end of Miroku's story, Sango's roommate came through the front door and froze after noticing him. It wasn't the first time it had happened in the last week or so, but it didn't make it any less weird. She hardly smiled, and after a moment, looked away awkwardly as she hung her coat and scarf on the hook nailed to the wall. After disappearing into her bedroom, Sango reluctantly admitted that Kagome had seemed down for a while now, too, with no given explanation.

"And you have no idea what's wrong with Kagome?" Miroku asked, rolling his head to the side to glance at his girlfriend.

"Not a clue. She was totally fine and then all of a sudden, she just… wasn't. I've asked her a thousand times to talk to me, but she keeps saying it's nothing to worry about." Sango replied, a concerned frown marring her features.

"Maybe it's in the water." Miroku suggested, feeling defeated.

"Not for Inuyasha."

Miroku looked at her questionably, turning his body towards her once more in anticipation of what she had to say.

"You said he has a soulmate. What if he found her?" Sango inquired.

"Why would that upset him?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't know. From all the stories you've told me about Inuyasha, he seems like the stubborn type-"

Miroku chuckled, nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, he's definitely stubborn."

"Therefore, he may be picky about his women. What if he doesn't _like_ his soulmate? Better yet, what if he doesn't like the fact that he didn't get a choice in the matter? I mean, it seems a little farfetched that 100% of the people that have a soulmate wouldn't have a problem with their selection." She shrugged, raising her eyebrows. Miroku sat there for a moment, allowing her words to sink in and process.

"Have I ever told you how brilliant you are, you gorgeous woman?" He boasted, squishing her cheeks in between his hands and pulling her in for a kiss. "What the hell would I do without you?"

She giggled, shaking her head and pushing his hands away from her face. "So, I helped?"

"Are you kidding? Everything makes sense now! That idiot is as stubborn as a mule. In fact, he's so stubborn donkeys take after _him._ You're damn straight he doesn't like anyone calling the shots for him, especially in the love department."

"Maybe you just need to help him take his mind off of things for now. Eventually, everything will calm down and level out. Even a guy like him can learn to accept change, right?" Sango asked innocently.

"Oh, uh… Give or take six months down the road he may consider the idea of accepting it."

"…You're kidding."

"My dearest Sango, I never joke about Inuyasha's attitude. He is, in fact, the worst." Miroku smiled nonchalantly. "But I've tried to keep his mind off of things. I end up more rejected than a high school girl whose senpai won't notice her. Thank god we're in this together, huh?"

"We are?" Sango hesitated, frowning at her boyfriend who seemed all-too-eager to include her.

"Of course! Kagome could probably use the pick-me-up too! How about a house party? My place is big enough and we're on the bottom floor. I'll invite the neighbors, so they don't complain. They're young. They're hip. Everyone can dance their worries away."

"I can't imagine Inuyasha being the dancing type."

"He is when he's drunk."

The pungent smell of alcohol riddled the air as too many people bounced about, shouted, and dry-humped around him to the loud music. Inuyasha distinctly remembered telling Miroku he wasn't interested in hosting a party, and yet here he was; shutout of his own bedroom and forced to stand around awkwardly until the alcohol hit his system. He didn't know how his roommate always got his way, but the man was a master at persuasion and coercion.

He swiveled the red, plastic cup in his hand hoping the motion would make the ice melt faster and cool the warm whiskey so that it was drinkable. He watched as the two ice cubes hit the sides of the container, flowing in a circular motion as a small whirlpool was created. The lower temperature began to seep through the plastic, soothing his irritated hand and helping him to ignore the increasing prickling.

Ever since that day at the coffee shop, Inuyasha had felt like shit and these sensations had increased tenfold. He knew this party was Miroku's way of trying to help bring him out of it but being forced to hang out in a very crowded room with a lot of drunk, obnoxious people was far from the answer. He just needed to ride the stupid feeling out.

Inuyasha had watched the message he'd written slowly fade from his palm, disappearing completely with no response. He'd stared at his skin for damn near an hour waiting for something to appear. Every day, he'd check his hands for notes or doodles and his flesh remained clean and clear. The only thing that remained to tie him with whomever the fuck this was, was the annoying, unrelenting tingling that spread from his wrists to the tips of his fingers, seemingly growing worse and worse by the minute. Inuyasha wasn't one for melancholy to begin with. He was the type of guy that swallowed his problems to deal with another day, but this whole ordeal seemed to be eating him away and wearing him thin.

He was exhausted, he was aggravated, and he was anxious as all hell.

He took a large swig of his barely-cold drink, the whiskey burning at his throat as it coated it thoroughly on its way down. Slamming the cup on the small side table next to the couch, he made his way to the open front door, heading towards the fresh air and calmer atmosphere.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, waving over the many heads inside. A girl several inches smaller than him tailed behind, clutching desperately to his hand so as not to get separated. Her long, brown hair was held loosely in a high, messy ponytail that swayed side-to-side as she walked, and her dress was almost too revealing for this weather. "It's about time I finally get the opportunity to introduce you two! This is Sango!"

"It's nice to finally meet you!" Sango smiled, extending her free hand to him. Inuyasha took it in his grip, making sure not to hurt her nimble fingers with his large hands. To his surprise, her shake was firm and powerful, the squeeze hurting his knuckles. When he'd first learned they were dating almost two months ago, he felt compelled to warn the girl about Miroku and his… tendencies. Maybe Miroku was the one he should actually be worried about.

"You probably don't remember, but we've met before." Inuyasha smirked, eagerly taking his palm back and rubbing it out.

"I don't and I'd rather not!" She laughed awkwardly, no doubt remembering the hangover she suffered from that drunken night a few weeks ago. "I believe you know my roommate, too? Kagome? She's here somewhere!"

Inuyasha's fists clenched, the familiar surge of points and needles prodding his hands with a burning fury. His head twisted around the room, looking for her long black hair and bright brown eyes but coming up with faces he didn't know and an abundance of putrid scents that burned his nose. Realizing Miroku was staring at him, he stopped and attempted to come off as casual as possible.

"She is? Well I… um… hope she's having fun." He slowly nodded, turning and exiting through the door.

The November air was cold as shit and he wished he'd grabbed a jacket before stepping outside, his demon blood not enough to keep him warm at this time of year. A chill crept through his long sleeve shirt and as his senses began to quiet, he could smell rain approaching in the air. It was cold enough at night where the water on the roads would freeze until the sun thawed it mid-morning, but not cold enough for snow just yet.

He walked outside the apartment building, the music still loud enough to reach his sensitive ears as he shoved his tingling hands into his front pockets for warmth. He was almost tempted to let his fingers freeze and fall off, the cold numbing them and aiding in some form of relief from the undying torture.

"Oh. Hey." A sweet voice greeted as he turned the corner, nearly bumping into her small body that leaned against the wall. Kagome stood there, her chocolate eyes gazing at him unsuspectingly. Her hands were tucked inside the pocket of her dark blue pullover hoody, the logo for their college printed on the front. Her dark curls flowed over her shoulders and around the bunched-up hood at the back of her neck, her messy bangs framing her face too fucking perfectly. She smiled shyly, causing a piercing jab to his heart as he forced himself to take a step backwards.

"Hey."

Kagome felt a fluttering rush develop in her chest, expanding throughout her entire torso. She'd come outside for a quick minute to compose herself. The moment she'd seen Inuyasha standing along the wall of his living room talking to absolutely no one and drinking who knows what, she'd felt her breath catch in her lungs and couldn't get it to come out. It was ridiculous, even for her, so she decided to come outside and start over.

The dim lights from the building provided just enough exposure for her to see the slight tint of pink on his cheeks, which she suspected to be from the cold, and his amber eyes staring back at her with both question and concern.

"I-it was… crowded." Kagome admitted, tearing her eyes away and looking at the ground.

"Yeah, I get it. Me too."

"What?"

"I-uh… I thought it was crowded too. That's why I'm out here." His voice was low and rough, catching all of her attention. Kagome's eyes met his again, his gaze burning through her as her hands clutched one another through the large pocket in her sweater, trying to calm the wild nerve endings. She desperately wanted to take a step closer to him, as if he were a magnet drawing her in, but pinched the back of her left wrist with her nails to keep grounded where she was.

What was happening to her? These feelings were becoming too intense to think rationally. She shouldn't have come to the party. She shouldn't have wanted to see him again. But, geez, did she want to see him again. She'd kept her hands clean for weeks, kept notes in her cell phone and notebooks, and used hand sanitizer for added effect as a form of detoxing to keep her mind off of things, but it only made it all worse. She was sad, and Sango's concern proved that it was noticeable. How could she tell her best friend what was going on if she didn't even know herself? Kagome refused to admit the one thing that kept prodding at her mind. She refused to even consider that Inuyasha was the man on the other side of this. He didn't believe. He had no idea what it was like to feel as crazy as she did now, and she would only be screwing herself over if she gave in and hoped it was him.

Inuyasha flinched, rubbing out the sudden sting that came to the back of his left wrist. He and Kagome had stood there in silence for a long moment. A small part of him felt calm and content, while a larger part of him trembled with agitation.

Fuck! He wanted to know. He _deserved_ to know. If it wasn't Kagome, all she had to do was say so and he'd move on.

All he had to do was ask and he'd have his answer.

A part of him felt like he already had, though. He'd sent a message, and he _knew_ it was received. He'd never been so sure about something in his life. Why would shit come through to him but not the other way around? It just didn't make sense. If he understood anything about this soulmate thing, it was that what happened to one happened to the other.

"Listen, Ka-" The loud ring and heavy vibration coming from his pocket yanked away his focus. He pulled out the device, ready to silence the thing and turn it off completely when he noticed the name in big, bold letters. He didn't want to answer. Jesus, why did he slide the bar at the bottom of the screen to accept? He was literally seconds away from getting the _yes_ or _no_ he needed, so why would he even consider answering this call? It was past ten, and nothing good ever came from calls from your ex-girlfriend this late at night.

"What?" Inuyasha's voice came out harsher than intended. He held the butt of his phone close to his face, neglecting to put the call on speaker phone since Kagome was only a few feet from him, his ears sensitive enough to pick up the hysterical sobbing coming from the other end. He waited a moment, the cries never slowing enough to pick up the words she tried to mutter in between. "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. I need you to tell me happened. _Slowly_." He dropped his voice considerably, his tone coming off as soothing as possible while direct enough to be followed.

"… He hit me, Inuyasha."

He turned down the volume on his phone, knowing Kagome couldn't hear what was being said but not taking the chances. Her concerned stare burning into him, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip as the tension increased around him from every angle.

"Where are you?" Inuyasha asked, his amber eyes never leaving Kagome's brown orbs. He knew he was going to regret this, but he couldn't leave Kikyo alone when she was this scared or hurt. His stomach twisted and turned painfully, feeling a lump form in his throat.

He was pissed. He didn't need the details of Kikyo's situation to feel the anger gnawing at his entire being. He didn't care that she was his ex and he didn't care what had happened in their past. She was a sobbing mess, hiccupping between words and begging for him to come get her.

He got the information he needed and hung up the phone, sliding it back into the depths of his front pocket. Unconsciously, he'd taken a step closer to Kagome, her eyebrows raised, and her deep brown eyes drifting back and forth from his own to his lips. He slowly lifted a hand to cup her cheek, his palms stinging all the way, the sensation too much to handle as the padding of his thumb just barely grazed her soft skin so he withdrew it altogether. Fuck, he wanted to make that worried expression disappear. He wanted to soothe her features and tell her everything was alright, but the situation was such a clusterfuck that he couldn't find it in him to say anything.

"I have to go." He said hoarsely. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Inuyasha began backing away from Kagome, finding each step harder and harder to take. He was so damn close to an answer. He was so damn close to _her_. At this point, it seemed all logic was out the door. He may not know shit about her now, but he was more than willing to take all the time in the world to find out everything he could. God, he wanted her to say yes when he could finally ask her the dreaded question. He wanted it to be her. He wanted it to be Kagome.

She gave him a soft nod, and he was finally able to tear away and head in the direction of the coffee house.

Could half demons tell if they were being followed? Probably. But Kagome knew Inuyasha's mind was too preoccupied to pick up on her. Every part of her knew this was wrong, but the horrible feeling that had drilled into her chest cavity wouldn't ease up until she gave in and snuck off after him. She decided that she could beat herself up later about it. For now, she had to concentrate on staying a safe distance behind while simultaneously staying close enough not to lose him.

The icy drizzle fell around her, shocking the tenderly-cold skin of her nose and cheeks. The smart thing to do would have been to put her hood up but she was worried about looking like a shady figure hanging out in the background, so she decided against it. A little rain never hurt anyone.

Inuyasha's pace quickened as he approached the lit-up coffee house, half adorned with autumn décor and the other half in semi-put-up Christmas lights. He forcefully threw open the door and ran towards the back where she couldn't see him anymore, a curving wall from the inside blocking her view. Even through the cold, her hands felt clammy. She could hear the scared voice through Inuyasha's phone. The voice of a female begging him to come get her. Kagome had no right to be jealous. She was jumping to conclusions, another bad habit of hers, and as per usual, it only created messier situations.

The drizzle turned to rain, her damp hair beginning to stick to the sides of her face and neck. She should just turn around and head home. She should go home, get dry, and put on some stupid romcom to distract herself. So why was she approaching the windows of the coffee house? Why was she searching the inside of the dimly-lit, twenty-four-hour building for the familiar face with the unfamiliar woman? Why did it hurt so bad to see Inuyasha cradling a girl's jaw, their bodies so close to one another?

"Who did this?" Inuyasha demanded. He wanted to punch the wall next to them and create a god-awful scene. He wanted whoever the hell it was that had the balls to strike a woman to see the damage he, himself, could do so that he would shrivel down in fear at the beating that was coming for him.

"His name doesn't matter, Inuyasha." Kikyo responded flatly, her dark eyes avoiding his. His clawed hands held her face, his thumb caressing her pale cheeks, avoiding the darkening bruise around her eye.

"Like hell, it doesn't!" He snapped. "If you call me to come get you because some asshole you're dating hit you, you better be prepared to tell me his name!"

"I didn't call you because I wanted you to fight him! I called you because I wanted you to take me home!" She pushed his hands away, carefully wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. "But you didn't even bring your car and it's pouring outside now!"

"Oh, save it! I was drinking when you called, so I wasn't going to drive around town like that. And don't act like it's the rain you're worried about. I'll get you home safely, so shut up." He rolled his eyes, gently grabbing Kikyo's chin between his forefinger and thumb, and twisting her face slightly to get a better look at the developing bruise. "Who was it, Kikyo?"

"Some guy I went on a few dates with."

" _Who_ was it, Kikyo?" Inuyasha demanded again, sick of her attitude already.

"Naraku. His name is Naraku. We got into an argument and the rest is history." Kikyo lifted her chin out of his hold, turning away so the mark of violence was out of his line of sight.

Inuyasha clenched and unclenched his fists, the tingling making it hard to focus on one thing over the other. He sat back in the corner booth they were tucked away in, seething in anger and wanting to beat the ever-loving shit out of this guy. Hell, he would run off and do it right now if he knew what the asshole looked like and didn't have Kikyo to worry about. It killed him that a woman he'd known to stand tall with pride seemed so small and terrified, so it made it a lot easier that she didn't want to be looked at. As good as he was at blowing things out of proportion and going off the deep end, he understood that it was more important to get her home as soon as possible.

He made sure to steady himself, ready to take her arm and guide her back to her place, when the small silhouette in the corner of the furthest window caught his eye.

Kagome gasped, forgetting that the main objective, besides snooping, was to avoid being seen. His eyes pierced through her, and her feet felt frozen in place. Her heart beat erratically as her first instinct was to panic. To run. To get the hell out of there and avoid him for the rest of her life, because there was no way she could face him or live this down.

She didn't expect it to hurt so bad to see him caring for another woman. She didn't expect to feel so irrationally betrayed to see him stroking her cheek when she was well aware that this situation and their relationship was none of her business. None of this made sense to Kagome. For the umpteenth time, she asked herself what was happening to her. Her lungs contracted, the air traveling through her pipes painfully as the cold rain wracked her body into tremors.

Inuyasha stared out the window, his eyes adjusting to the difference in contrast as her features became noticeable. The rain caused her bangs to wave and stick to her forehead, the layers of black hair that once created a voluminous look clinging to her cheeks. Her mouth hung slightly open, drops of water running along her face and stopping at the texture of her pink lips. The dark blue sweater she wore looked black from the added moisture, her arms shivering at her side and her fingers shaking.

He jolted to his feet, that action startling both the girl outside and the girl beside him. Kagome turned to walk away, the steps quickly developing into a sprint.

But he was faster.

"Inuyasha, what are-"

"I'll be right back. Stay here." He ordered, not giving Kikyo a second look before darting out the door and following Kagome's path.

The rain made it impossible to catch her scent, but he let his intuition guide him. His legs darted quickly, the downpour stinging his face as he turned a corner he'd taken on the way from his apartment. There she was, just a few paces in front of him, her legs running as fast as they could. His burning hands stretched out in front of him, his fingers latching to the arm of her baggy, soaked hoody.

"Kagome, stop! Stop!" He shouted, pulling back so that she'd be forced to stop running. Her chest heaved up and down heavily as he turned her to face him, her head hung, avoiding his gaze. "What the hell are you doing?"

She bit her lip, her breathing still quick, her body shivering beneath his touch. Inuyasha didn't let go of her sweater. He was sure if he did, she'd take off again. The street lamps hardly provided enough light to see all the features he'd grown to favor on her face as she stared to the ground at his feet.

"Kagome?" He tried again, holding back the growl that crept up in his chest. No, now wasn't the right time. She looked sad. Hurt even.

"I'm sorry," She started, her voice a whisper compared to the sound of heavy water smacking cement. "I shouldn't have followed you. I was just worried."

"Then why did you run?"

"I didn't know what else to do."

His grip on her clothes went slack, dropping his prickling hand to his side. Finally, she looked up at him, peeking through the thick bangs that hung low and hid her lashes.

"Who is she?" Kagome's voice shook, and it ripped a hole in Inuyasha's heart. Fuck it all! What the hell was she doing to him? He should have been pissed that she was spying, but he was more concerned that she was wet and freezing, wandering through the streets alone as the night only got later. He shouldn't have chased after her, but he couldn't imagine letting her run off when she looked so wounded through those dirty windows.

"Her name's Kikyo." Inuyasha admitted, his shoulders sagging as he resisting the urge to step closer and close at least an inch of the gap between them. "She's my ex."

Kagome nodded slowly, the statement causing a painful knot to form in her throat. This is what snooping does; if you go looking for trouble, you'll always find it.

"Why are you upset?" Inuyasha asked, reaching for her hand. She felt the shock. Felt the rush course through her body and she jerked back, feeling more scared than she knew she should have been.

"I'm not." She lied, trying to seem as natural as possible.

"Why are you upset?" He asked with more fire, stepping toward her and snatching at the sleeve of her hoody to prevent her from leaving like she so desperately wanted to.

"I said, I'm no-"

"Tell me, Kagome!"

"I don't know, Inuyasha!" She yelled, feeling her resolve crumbling around her. "I don't know why I'm upset, okay!? I know I shouldn't be! There's a lot of things happening right now that _shouldn't be_ , but I can't help it!"

His lips curled into a frown, his brows drawing together as he pulled her closer to him.

"Are you her?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes boring into her own.

"Wha-"

"Are you my fucking soulmate!?" He barked, pulling her another step closer. She could feel his hand traveling down her arm, her palm igniting in a heated blaze she'd never felt before. She attempted to jerk backwards again but got nowhere, his skin nearing hers.

"No!" Kagome tore her arm from his hold, her breathing appearing shaky and unstable. The raindrops curved around her brow bone, over her nose, and down her jaw, the path of them numbing her to further cold. She clutched her burning hand to her chest, wanting so badly to feel his wet skin with the pads of her fingertips, but finding the fear of it all too overwhelming. She was afraid it wasn't him. She was afraid this whole thing was wrong, and she was following all the wrong signs. She couldn't be rejected. Not here. Not like this. Not while he was looking at her, able to see her break and crumble from the weight of the disappointment. "I'm not your soulmate, Inuyasha! I don't have one!"

"Bullshit!" He argued, seeing right through her. "Prove it!"

"Back off!"

"Give me your hand, Kagome!" He looked desperate and just as afraid as she was. She could tell he was trying to disguise it with anger, but his amber eyes said everything she needed to know. He, of all people, had a soulmate somewhere nearby. It was becoming painful for him, and he needed to know who she was. Inuyasha's ache had become just as insatiable as her own.

It didn't matter. The fear of being wrong overpowered her trembling nerves and made it impossible to put her hand in his.

"I can't." Kagome whispered, staring at his open palm, hot tears stinging at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

His fingers curled shut, the sharp tips of his claws biting into his cold flesh, feeling rejected once again. Why couldn't anyone answer his damn question? He wanted to break something, curse and shout, anything to release some of the frustration that he'd locked in for weeks now. What the hell happened to happy endings? Why was this so damn hard?

"I should go. I interrupted something that looked important back there. You can go back to her, Inuyasha." The hurt in her voice was so evident, it shook him to the core. Everything was so fucked up.

"No, look, it's not what you think. She got into a fight with her new boyfriend and he hit her. She needed help, Kagome."

"Is she okay?" Kagome asked immediately, mentally kicking herself for the slip. It was none of her business and she should have never butted in.

"She's fine. Shaken up, but fine."

"Is there anything I can do?" The hook in her voice was genuine, and Inuyasha wondered how it was possible for someone to instantaneously push their problems aside for a person they didn't know. His shoulders sunk, unconsciously reaching his right hand forward and gently pushing a sodden strand of hair off of her pale cheeks and behind her ear. Kagome's heart was so good, and he understood now that she was going to be the death of him.

"No," He shook his head, relishing in the heat that radiated from their touch. "I'm just going to make sure she gets home safely. That's all she needs right now."

Kagome's eyes fell back down to the floor, blinking quickly to block the dripping water from blurring her vision. His touch was so wonderful yet so agonizing at the same time. She didn't know this would be so difficult. Of all the tales she'd heard of finding your person, she'd never once heard one so painful. It was always a happy start to a happy end. Nothing was scary or conflicting or the least bit trivial about it. Your hand sent you some sort of signal and the rest was history. A couple had once come to her family's shrine and described the story of how they'd gotten that infamous tingle and literally walked around for however long it took with their palms held out like a flashlight, following the urges and sensations until they collided with their person and felt a wash of relief they'd never experienced before.

So why wasn't that happening for her now? Why did she feel so much regret saying no when she had the opportunity in front of her to possibly end all of this torment for the both of them? Inuyasha was clearly going through it too, and she was willing to do damn near anything to ease the lines on his face and take some of that pain away. But she didn't.

Kagome kept telling herself it wasn't right. She wasn't right for him. They weren't meant for one another and they were only making things worse in the end.

"I should…" Kagome's voice broke, betraying her as she tried to hold herself together for just a moment longer.

"No, K-"

"I really need to go, Inuyasha." She pushed his hand away from her, careful to pull the sleeves of her drenched sweater over her fingers to avoid any further contact with him. "I have to go."

She backed away slowly, trying to bite back the quivering of her bottom lip.

"I'm so sorry."


	4. Part 4

"Kagome?" Sango shouted, throwing the front door open and rushing in, her boyfriend following her hasty entrance and slamming the door shut behind them. "Kagome are you here?" Her voice was louder, more panicked as she curved around the entrance and through the kitchen, turning on every light in her path.

"Sango, we'll find her." Miroku stated, trying to calm her nerves. She ignored him, calling out to Kagome again as she entered the living room, clicking on the lamp near the couch. Sango bit her lip, the lipstick long faded from her incessant, nervous chewing.

She released a heated sigh that caused her throat to tense, tossing her damp ponytail behind her and hurried down the hall, twisting the cold, metal doorknob to Kagome's bedroom and pushing it open. She flipped the switch, the dim light illuminating the clean, empty room. The heart secured behind her rib cage thumped erratically, her pulse racing a mile a minute.

Sango wasn't able to find Kagome again at the party. She'd fully expected her best friend to return to her side eventually, but she never did. After about a few hours the worry started to eat at her. Kagome and Sango had a strict check-in policy. Meaning, even if they were mingling separately, which was occasionally known to happen since Kagome was a social butterfly, they were to text one of _two_ specific code words they'd put in place.

If everything was fine and they were enjoying themselves, the word to send was Kirara. It was the name of Sango's cat, and per Kagome's logic, she was so sweet that everything associated with her name had to be good.

If something was wrong, they were even slightly uncomfortable, or they just wanted to go home, which they always made sure to arrive and leave _together_ , the word was Shippo. It was the name of the stuffed fox doll Kagome had since she was seven that, even now, sat at the head of her bed.

Sango had checked her phone repeatedly throughout the night waiting for something to come through. She'd even texted her friend, asking where she was and if she was okay, only to receive nothing in return. After too long, she started asking all the familiar faces she knew if they'd seen Kagome, and none of them had. Miroku jumped in and asked around too. How was it freaking possible that no one had seen her since they'd walked into the party?

"Sango!" She whipped her head around, her cold, brown locks slapping the side of her face as she responded to her boyfriend's call. He stood just outside the doorway to the bathroom at the foot of the hall, leaning against the frame and gazing in. His dark brows pinched together, causing creases in the center of his forehead just above the bridge of his nose. The room had been dark when she raced by initially, but the yellow light Miroku must have turned on bounced out into the hallway against the man's olive skin and the white wall behind him.

She rushed to him, looking in and staring at a wet, crumpled form on the small, fuzzy foot rug below the sink. Her back shook with gasps and sobs, and Sango didn't hesitate to push past Miroku and fall to the floor next to her best friend.

"Kagome? Honey?" Sango spoke softly, her shaking, cold fingers gently grazing along the curve of Kagome's spine. She rubbed her back, slowly putting more pressure into her movements, feeling the jostling of her friend's cries. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I messed up, Sango." Kagome whimpered. Her words were muffled by her weak and curled form on the floor, Sango now moving her ear closer to hear what was being said and wrapping both arms firmly around her body to try and peel her out of the ball she'd become.

"What happened?" She repeated a little more sternly, concern plaguing her mind. Kagome slowly began to unravel, her pink, tear-stained face finally becoming visible. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders in thick clumps, dripping onto the now-damp rug.

"I messed up so bad." She repeated, shaking her head and trembling. "I had a chance, but I was too scared, and I think I really hurt him."

"Who?" Sango clutched her friend tighter as she sat her up, pushing the wet strands of hair off her face. The outline of her lips was a faint blue from how cold she was, and Sango realized Kagome had to have been outside in the freezing rain for way too long. As if Miroku read her mind, he turned to the cabinet just outside of the bathroom door, pulling out a large, white towel, unfolding it and wrapping it around Kagome's shivering shoulders. He rubbed the sides of her arms through the thick cloth, trying his best to warm her through her sopping clothes.

"Inuyasha." Kagome admitted, her composure shuttering again as she shut her eyes the moment more tears painted her reddened face. "I think he's my soulmate."

Sango and Miroku's heads jerked to face one another, his violet irises radiating just as much solid shock and confusion as she felt. Several questions popped into her head, but she knew now wasn't the time for that. She had to concentrate on getting the broken girl in front of her calm and dry. She shushed the girl, pushing the bangs that clung to Kagome's forehead to the side and rubbing her thumbs gently along the curve of her cheeks to dry the hot tears that fell.

"It's gonna be okay, Kagome."

"So you're telling me you _think_ its Inuyasha, but you also _don't think_ it's Inuyasha?" Sango inquired, setting down a mug of hot tea on the nightstand beside Kagome's bed and joining her on the mattress. Kagome buried her face in her knees and groaned, holding her legs firmly to her chest.

"For the eighth time already, yes." She responded, rolling her head to the side so that she could see her friend through the space in her kneecaps.

"I'm just trying to understand." She shrugged, crossing her legs in front of her and taking a sip of the warm beverage she cradled in her hands.

"I don't get it either, that's the thing." Kagome sighed, sitting up straight and allowing the red and black checkered throw blanket to fall from her shoulders. It took a while for Kagome to get dry and warm up after being in the cold November rain for hours, but with this dreaded conversation dragging on, she was beginning to sweat. She mimicked Sango's body language, turning to face her friend and crossing her legs in front of her, adjusting the baggy tee she wore so that it wouldn't bunch up around her waist. "I don't know what to think. I am undeniably and illogically drawn to him, and it freaks me out!"

"So, do you think maybe you should talk to him?"

"Did you not hear everything I just explained to you? I can't talk to him about all of this after I yelled at him, ran away after buying him a coffee, stalked him while he went to go save his ex-girlfriend, got upset about it, yelled at him some more, lied to him, rejected him, and then ran away again! He'll think I'm nuts!" She argued, flailing her arms in front of her.

"Drink your tea and calm down." Sango ordered flatly, arching her eyebrow and nodding towards the mug a couple feet away. "Who cares if he thinks you're crazy?"

"Uh… I do?" Kagome responded, cradling the mug in her sensitive fingers and sipping its comforting contents.

"At least you'll have answers though! And if he really is your soulmate, do you think he'll actually reject you?"

"I mean-"

"No! The answer is, no!" Her friend shouted adamantly. "From what both you and Miroku have told me, he's just as insane as you are!"

"What has Miroku told you?" Her eyebrows flinched in sudden interest, trying to keep a casual demeanor about her inquiry but also anxious to hear at least a little something about what was going on in Inuyasha's mind.

Sango's shoulders sagged, shutting her eyes as she took a deep inhale, feeling her chest expand beneath the tank top she donned, and opening them as she exhaled. Miroku would probably kill her if he knew she was telling Kagome, but what else was she supposed to do? Her best friend was in emotional turmoil, and if she could help in any way, she was going to!

"Look, I'm not supposed to tell you this so everything I say is strictly confidential, okay?" Sango started, knowing she could trust Kagome and that the disclaimer was more than unnecessary. Still, she waited for her roommate's assuring nod before she continued. "Inuyasha's been a mess since he found out he had a soulmate. As far as I know, he's told Miroku he didn't want to know who it was. He said something about not everyone being meant for each other, or something to that effect. _But_ , apparently, he came home one afternoon and locked himself in his room for days. He wouldn't tell Miroku what was wrong, which I guess isn't altogether abnormal, but it still had Miroku worried. He seemed… Sad."

"I made him _sad_?" Kagome gasped, feeling herself shrinking behind the cup she held.

"Now wait, we don't know that it was you!" Sango defended, taking the tea from Kagome's hands and placing both mugs on the nightstand before anything spilled. "Before tonight, there was nothing you did to hurt him!"

"Wrong!" Kagome interjected. "I ignored him!"

"What? When?"

"Ah geez… It was after the coffee shop incident where we touched, and I freaked out! I was trying to process everything and then a message showed up on my hand." Kagome admitted, opening up her clean palm and pointing to where the writing had appeared. "It said, "who are you?"

"And you ignored it?" The brunette asked incredulously, brown eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes! I was scared! Because of what had happened with Inuyasha, I thought it could be him, but I also realized I wasn't ready to find out."

"And you ignored it?" Sango repeated more dully that time.

"I… uh… actually washed my hands so that I wouldn't have to look at it anymore." Kagome stated ashamedly, her chocolate eyes drifting down to the blue comforter they sat on. She could practically hear Sango piecing it all together in her mind, connecting the dots and processing her story.

"Okay, even though the timelines seem to match up, we still don't necessarily know it was you." She sighed, uncrossing her legs and moving to lean against the wall the bed frame was pushed up against. Kagome knew Sango was right. She knew there wasn't any proof that their stories tied together in the least, mostly because Kagome was stuck in the fear-of-rejection stage and refused to find the answers like a normal person would. With the bit of information Sango had just shared, she felt she had even more right to be afraid now. He didn't want to know. Geez, was this guy just too prideful to admit he was wrong about soulmates that he was totally willing to ignore this entirely? That would take a lot of resilience and willpower because even Kagome could attest that the unrelenting prickling in her hand was getting worse by the day.

But then that didn't explain why Inuyasha asked her if she was his person. He had to be throwing in the towel, because he looked so desperate for answers that his crumbling features were burned into her memories causing a wrenching feeling in her gut. She whined and tossed her head back onto the pile of pillows behind her, the exasperated sound drawn out and dragged until her lungs were out of air. She grabbed the orange, stuffed fox that was wedged in between the wall and a large pillow and squeezed it to her chest.

"I don't get it, Sango! I grew up at a shrine with all of this information at my feet, so why don't I know what to do?"

"You don't have to have the answers to everything, Kagome." Her friend comforted. "You just have to be open enough for the answers to come to you."

"You don't think Miroku will tell Inuyasha about what happened, do you?" She asked, staring at the white stucco on the ceiling and allowing everything to blur. "About how you guys found me?"

"No." Sango promised. "Miroku has his dumb moments, but he isn't inconsiderate."

Kagome's mattress jostled as her best friend crawled off of it, grabbing her mostly-drunken cup of tea from the small stand and heading towards the open door. A soft mew caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Sango's small, cream-colored cat rubbing herself along Sango's ankles, twisting and weaving in a figure eight as she curved through her open legs, the black tip of her tail flicking upwards.

"You should go to sleep, Kagome." Her roommate suggested, her fingers dancing on the edge of the light switch. Kagome dangled her own fingers off the side of the bed, allowing Kirara to glide her smooth fur along her hand. "You need it."

Sango shut off the light, the small cat following her cue and darting out the door as she slowly shut it behind her. Kagome didn't know how she was going to get any sleep. Her mind was racing a mile a minute and the vibrations in her hand were beginning to feel as if she'd sat on her palms for an hour and they were just beginning to regain proper blood flow. The image of Inuyasha staring down at her, the rain dripping from the tips of his light hair and following every curve of his handsome face, was permanently etched behind the lids of her eyes. There were so many emotions radiating off of him, causing his lips to draw downward and his thick eyebrows to bite together. His amber eyes… Hell, the glow of his irises would probably haunt her for eternity, and she'd willingly accept that fate so long as she got to gaze into the mysterious orbs every time she blinked.

She felt something unfamiliar twitch in her chest cavity, her heart pounding as a heavyweight caused Kagome to sink into the thick comforter she laid on. A warmth crawled along her skin, starting at her sternum and creeping along the length of her body. Her cheeks burned as she closed her eyes and looked back at the half demon, imagining herself complying with his wishes. Placing her hand in his large palm. Having the guts to actually face the truth. Maybe even seeing that cocky smirk at the tail end of it.

She wanted him to smile for her. Because of her. Seeing him so confused and troubled, having _that_ be the image burned into her brain, was worse than the rejection she feared.

Inuyasha stared at his palm, unable to see the fine lines and creases in the darkness of his bedroom, but able to feel so much more than he'd ever been able to before. There was no doubt in his mind anymore. The sensations evolving into something new whenever she was near enough was all the proof he needed. Kagome was on the other side of all of this.

Kagome was his soulmate.

Accepting and knowing helped nothing, though. She was still just as far from him as before, either in denial of the whole thing or completely repulsed by the idea of being with a guy like him. If the former, he could hardly blame her. It was a thick pill to swallow, especially when you hardly knew the person. If the latter… Ouch.

He had to be as realistic as possible in a shitstorm of a situation like this, if realism still existed. Even if she was educated in the fairytales and folklore of the meant-to-be hoopla, as Miroku stated when he was going through this shit with Sango, it's a lot to handle when the opportunity comes kicking down your door. Maybe chasing her down and shoving his hand in her face was the wrong approach. He couldn't wipe his memory of the frightened look she held, scared to leave, scared to stay, and scared to know. Who was he to judge? Not too long ago, he didn't want to know either. So, what had changed his mind?

Kagome. She did. It may not have been immediate, because she's a stubborn chick with a temper, but the moment he saw her holding a coffee out to him, with her dumb truce and sweet smile to back it up, was the first time he'd ever been legitimately nervous around someone. Heart-stuttering, gut-wrenchingly nervous. It didn't help that she was as beautiful as beautiful can get. She was kind, seemed smart since she was always prepared for an argument, and was the kind of girl he would gladly go soft for.

On a normal day, Inuyasha would have been disgusted with himself. He never thought like this. Even he knew he had a hard exterior to get passed in order to see a speck of sentimentality. He was like that since he was a kid, because the less emotion he showed, the less his mom hurt. He could feel that resolve breaking, though. He could feel a flame igniting within him that he hadn't felt in over a decade, expanding in his chest and warming his entire being. He didn't care that he was changing either. It was like a weight was finally beginning to lift from his shoulders. All because she smiled at him.

And he didn't even know her yet.

God, did he want to, though.

Inuyasha glanced over at the old alarm clock that sat on the nightstand in between his bed and the wall, _3:26 AM_ lit up in bold, green numbers. He hated that Kagome had taken off on her own, but what the hell was he supposed to do? Kikyo was sitting back at the coffee house waiting for him with a black eye and shaken nerves. He couldn't fight her decision as badly as he'd wanted to, and he couldn't chase after her again. She needed space as much as he needed to get back.

But, damn it all, that didn't mean he had to like it!

He'd gotten back to the apartment around one in the morning, the last of the party-goers trickling out as their neighbor, Koga, mellowed things down and ended the stupid party that Inuyasha never wanted. Just as he went to ask where Miroku was, his roommate came rushing in behind him, breathing heavily and damp from the heavy rain.

Miroku stared at him a moment, a lingering sense of tension buzzing around his friend.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked, his shoulders slumping beneath the tee shirt he wore and the creases in his brow relaxing.

"What? I'm fine." Inuyasha responded a little too harshly. "Where did you go? This was your party, Miroku!"

"Kagome went missing!" Miroku fired in a manner that stated this was information Inuyasha already knew. "Sango and I went looking for her. Koga, here, was cool enough to take care of shit while we were gone." He said in a much cooler tone as their neighbor fist bumped him on his way out the door.

Inuyasha looked around at the mess, empty beer bottles and plastic cups littering their floor, avoiding any eye contact with his friend. How the hell would Miroku know what Inuyasha had been through; that he knew Kagome left the party?

There was a cold shock to his system as the rest of Miroku's statement processed. _She never came back._ A pang of fear clenched at his stomach, causing stinging bile to rise in his esophagus.

"I know we fuck around a lot, Inuyasha." Miroku started, keeping that cool and easy tone as he shut the front door and locked the deadbolt. "But you're still my best friend. I've been worried about you." He paused a moment, causing Inuyasha to tear his gaze from the trash and back to his roommate. "Is there _anything_ you'd like to talk about?"

"No. Why?" Inuyasha responded a little too quickly, turning away and walking the short distance to his bedroom, his silver hair still dripping onto the carpet.

"Just… opening the door."

He felt something inside of him churn as he twisted the metal handle to his door. He tried swallowing the sour taste, tried pushing the sinking dread to the back of his mind, but he couldn't fucking do it. Gripping the door frame, he turned back to his best friend that still stood in the entry. "Kagome-she…" He had to swallow again. Taking a steadying breath, he continued. "Did you find her? Was she okay?"

Miroku's lips quirked upwards in a very small smile, seeming more of relief than anything else. He nodded, a breathy chuckle escaping his nose. "She was at their apartment when we showed up. She was soaked, but she was okay."

Inuyasha watched the clock turn to _3:27 AM,_ turning away from the harsh lighting of the numbers and curling on his side. The thunder roared outside his window, a bright flash coinciding with the clap behind the black curtains that were drawn shut, dulling all of his senses besides touch. His hands felt so loud, so restless, and he'd never felt so helpless in his goddamn life. Inuyasha was wide awake, his chest aching for any sort of relief, and there was only one thing he could think of that could potentially fix this stupid, aggravating, turned around situation.

Kagome opened her eyes, the heavy rain waking her as it blew against the glass of her window. Her gaze shifted around the room, the blurriness fading as she blinked it away. Dim light came through the thick, dark clouds, illuminated her room just enough that she knew it was morning, and way too early for her to be up after the night she'd had. She flexed her fingers, trying to work out the deadened feeling from laying on her arm for so long, glancing over to her open palm that hung over the edge of her mattress. Black ink caught her attention, the scribbles extending from the base of her thumb to the base of her middle finger.

 _No names. We don't need to know yet. Just talk?_

Oh, okay. Sure. They could start the day this way.

Kagome shook her head, studying each curve and line of the message along her palm. Who was he trying to kid?

This was her fault to begin with. She was the one who resisted and ran away, but yet she couldn't help but feel at least a little happy that he hadn't given up completely yet. Sango's words repeated in her mind. She had to be open. Okay, she could do that. She can do this.

He deserved at least this much.

She sat up to her elbow, looking for the closest pen she could find without getting out of bed and stretched her arm out to claim it. As she uncapped the pen she realized it was her eyeliner pencil, and almost dropped it to find an actual writing utensil, but the pull to stay in the warmth and comfort of her soft mattress won.

 _Okay._ She wrote just below his handwriting. Kagome tried thinking of a conversation starter. She could dive right into asking questions, like if he preferred Mexican food over pasta, but was afraid she would come off too strong. Because, clearly, fettuccine alfredo was a sensitive topic. The anxiety of being rejected, or being wrong, still clung to the back of her mind. She would just have to ease herself in. Connecting the tip of the black eyeliner just below her previous word she wrote, _Hello._

It was only thirty seconds later that she felt the familiar scratching of a pen to hand, and she found it so crazy, for lack of a better word, that this sort of thing could happen right before her eyes.

 _What was that? The ink got all over my hand._

Kagome glanced up at her own message and realized the clamminess of her palm had smudged the writing. She suppressed a giggle, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had done anything with her hand other than lay it flat, knowing full and well that the makeup she bought was the cheapest drug stores had to offer.

 _Eyeliner_

She could feel friction along her palm, a slight burn flaring up along the sweaty flesh.

 _Seriously?_

The writing that once filled her hand was now gone, her flesh now dirty with the faint hint of ink stains. His new message appeared where his first one did, between her thumb and middle finger.

 _Pens are too far away_

There was a pause between messages now, and Kagome was worried she'd cut it off at the knees. Her thin fingers fumbled along the sheet of her bed, trying to keep her hand occupied so that she wouldn't stare mindlessly at it. As soon as the invisible source of tickling ran along the length of her palm again, she scanned the message, grasping that she may have been more excited than she'd anticipated.

 _Mexican or Italian?_

Kagome's smile faded, her heart giving a powerful thud against her rib cage. Of course, he would have the guts to ask her the most important question anyone could ever ask their romantic interest. Was it freaky that they were on the same question game wavelengths, or merely a coincidence?

 _Anything with breadsticks_

Their question game continued throughout the following days. Inuyasha's hands had grown raw from the constant writing and erasing but he didn't care in the least, the slight sweat that came forth whenever he talked to Kagome made it at least a little easier to wipe the slate clean and ask his next question.

With the storm wreaking havoc outside making it impossible to do anything but stay indoors, he'd learned a lot about her. She loves animals, her favorite movie is _Practical Magic_ , she prefers rain to sun, her favorite season is spring, she's studying history, and her favorite color is blue- when he'd asked her that one, she responded with a small swipe of her faded, blue highlighter for added effect. They were careful to avoid personal questions that could potentially give their identities away. Though Inuyasha was sure it was Kagome, and he wanted to believe she knew it was him, it was still part of the initial agreement. He wanted to respect her space, so if this was how they were going to get to know the tiny details of one another, then so be it. Who needs a fucking phone? The conversation they'd been having had eased the vibrations in his palm, as if the string that tied them together finally had some slack in it because they'd taken a small step closer to one another.

She made him laugh. He felt lighter whenever they were talking. When he felt the tickle on his hand, an indication that she was writing, he got this intense fluttering in his abdomen that both scared him shitless and excited him. A warmth had begun to spread throughout his body, a feeling he'd never experienced before. At this point in the game, he decided not to question anything that he felt anymore. It was best to roll with the punches.

Inuyasha sat in the busy library, his nose shoved in a well-used book by Earnest Hemingway. Reading for pleasure wasn't his thing, but it was a requirement for his stupid literature class, so he forced himself to get through it. There was no way he was checking the book out and taking it home because he had a bad habit of ignoring novels and incidentally losing them, because that's just how much he didn't care, so he walked his ass to the library as soon as the weather had cleared and planned to read as much as possible in the free time he had. Then he could spark notes the rest in order to complete his essay and call it a day.

The intense buzzing in his hand tore his attention away from the book, and he looked down at his left palm to see if a note was coming in. Nothing. The messages had been calm today, and Inuyasha figured Kagome was just in classes. No big deal. This was just another reason for him to be in the library; he needed to keep his mind off of talking to her every waking second of every day. Still, the tingling was beginning to get on his nerves and he was seconds away from pulling a pen out of the small pocket of his backpack and writing _hey_ or something until he glanced up and saw her walk in through the far library doors.

Her raven hair was swept over the shoulder furthest from him, exposing the fair skin of her long neck and the soft curve of her jawline, her smile making his heart do this unbearable sputtering thing. A folder was cradled in the nook of her arm, hiding a majority of the pink pullover hoody she donned, but the black leggings she wore accented her curves so fucking well it almost wasn't fair.

Inuyasha scowled, slowly balling up his fists, careful not to bite the tips of his claws into his skin in fear of hurting Kagome, but still irritated as all hell that a guy was walking so close to her, smiling and laughing along with something she'd said. Hell, the guy even had an arm over her shoulders.

Wait, Kagome was supposed to be smart. She _was_ smart. There was no way in hell she actually thought that _this_ guy was her soulmate, right? They settled at a table far from him, his sensitive ears hardly able to hear what they were saying over the other students in the library. For a quiet space, it was really fucking noisy.

He shut the book in his hands and snatched his backpack off of the chair next to him, slinging a strap over his shoulder and leaving Earnest Hemingway sitting on the table. He distanced himself, walking to a far and secluded aisle where he could still see Kagome and the douche bag who didn't respect personal space, but not risk her turning around and automatically eyeing him. Ripping the zipper open, and not looking away from the girl ahead, he threw his hand into the pocket of his bag and fumbled around until his clawed fingers wrapped around the length of a pen. Tearing it out, he clicked the ballpoint out and quickly scribbled a message.

Kagome made herself comfortable at the small, rectangular, wooden table in the center of the campus library. She removed her arms from the padded straps of her backpack and placed the bag on the side of the table, unzipping the large pouch and emptying some of its contents in front of her.

"So, Hojo, I have to ask…" She began, arching an eyebrow at her study partner across from where she sat and gently kicking his feet away from her own. "Everyone here calls you by your last name, but what's your first name?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." He joked, flashing her a charming smile and opening his textbook to the required chapter. He chuckled, maybe thinking she was more gullible than she actually was. "I'm kidding, Kagome. I'm actually named after a great, great grandfather of mine, I've just never gone by it. Though, I don't particularly enjoy strictly going by my last name. Maybe I just might tell you if you promise to use the information well."

Kagome's jaw dropped in shock at the blatant wink he kissed her way, but she closed it as soon as she realized her reaction was clearly written on her face, hoping her demeanor came off as casual as possible. Hojo was popular among women. Almost every female Kagome knew was a fan of Hojo's, but she couldn't see why. Sure, he was cute, due to his boyish charm, but Kagome just couldn't tell where the main attraction was. He wasn't as charming as everyone had said, his footsie wars were more annoying than anything else he thought they were, and he was such a bad flirt that it literally took her aback whenever she realized he was trying to make a move on her.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." She waved dismissively. "How 'bout I just call you…" His face seemed to light up in anticipation.

"You can call me anyth-"

"Ben."

Hojo stopped, raising his eyebrows and blinking in surprise. Kagome smiled innocently at him and stifled the laugh that crept up on her, waiting to see if this was something she could actually get away with.

"Ben Hojo?" He finally spoke, tapping his index finger along his chin as if he were feeling out the name. "I kind of like it. Yeah, call me Ben." He nodded, opening his notebook to a blank page.

Kagome did the same, snickering down at the lined paper in front of her and pulling a pen along with her favorite blue highlighter out. The tingling in her hand had been insane since she'd walked into the library, and she rubbed them along the sides of her thighs, hoping to ease the sensations. The familiar tickling returned to her left hand and she resisted the immediate urge to peek down at it. Hojo stood from his seat, muttering something about finding a book related to their project and that he'd be right back, and Kagome took the opportunity to open her palm.

 _You have a boyfriend?_

On instinct, she turned around, her deep brown eyes scouting the place and looking for the head of long, silver hair with pointed ears poking out of the top. She saw several familiar faces, but none of them were his. Her lungs tightened, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, returning to the textbook in front of her. Maybe now was the moment she was going to find out she was wrong about her hunch.

Or maybe he was just spying.

Alright, Inuyasha. Two could play at that game.

 _No_

She wrote on the heel of her palm, gently setting her pen down on the table so that he would see she was done writing. Hojo returned shortly with two books in hand and mentioned that he knew a couple more sections that may hold texts of some value to them, walking away again. She gave it another moment, pretending to look through the notifications on her cell phone, and then discretely picked up the pen once more.

 _-ne of your business_

Harsh. Inuyasha stared at his palm. Where he once felt relief, he now felt a lick of resentment. That girl was too feisty for her own good.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and peeking out from behind the bookcase once more. It was one thing to be ninety-percent sure she was the one, but when he'd physically watched her look down at the question he'd asked and respond, he felt a rush swell within him and vibrate throughout his entire body. He was right. He was fucking right.

Fuck off, douche canoe with a baby face, because that was his girl!

 _Do you?_

The letters appeared small. Tiny even. As if she was showing her shy side through pen and ink.

 _Have a bf? Yeah sorry_

He couldn't help but tease her. He loved watching her ignore the guy that sat inches away just to reply to him. The more Inuyasha was able to get her to talk, the more satisfied he became.

 _Idiot_

He rubbed his thumb along his hand, applying pressure and rubbing vigorously to erase the messages.

 _Takes one to know one_

 _What are you, five?_

He smiled, writing his final message and walking a clear path towards the exit without her looking up from her palm.

 _I'm 21 and that's a personal question. You're out._


	5. Part 5

The questions continued getting more personal over the next week. It quickly evolved from favorite foods and favorite animals to aspirations and past relationships. Which, in turn, evolved into how far they'd gone in those relationships and why they ended.

Kagome felt like she had nothing to hide from Inuyasha. It was easy to talk. Comforting, almost. She more than willingly admitted that she'd been in a few relationships since she started dating in high school, and she'd only had sex with her most recent, Bankotsu, about a year ago. Of course, she kept out names and the nitty-gritty details. She kept it as simple as possible with the allotted space on the inside of her small hand.

 _3 bf's total._

 _Yes, I've had sex._

 _The first time sucked._

 _We broke up in March._

 _He was an asshole._

 _I've never been in love._

Inuyasha's tale was much simpler.

 _1 girlfriend._

 _We had sex._

 _She was creepy. Into dark magic like that Harry Potter shit._

 _We broke up 4 months ago._

 _Half demon._

That last message got Kagome. She had asked him why, just as he had done to her. She had asked him for the reason they'd called it quits.

And he responded with, _half demon._

Kagome had never realized that Inuyasha had to deal with prejudice. It was common, sure, but he just seemed so proud that she never figured it was something he'd had to go through. What did his ex-girlfriend want from him, anyway? It wasn't like Inuyasha could control what he was! A dull ache built in her stomach as she honestly hoped this wasn't an insecurity of his. Over the seconds, minutes, and hours that they'd talked, Kagome found herself wanted to know every little bit and piece of him that she could. She wanted to bask in his quirks and characteristics. She wanted to sink into everything that made him Inuyasha.

Kagome tried to think of what she could say in response. There was the clichéd, _She's an idiot_. Or maybe the good old, _She's really missing out._ Also, the no-brainer, _Yikes._

Instead, she slowly and deliberately drew a large, bold heart around the words, _half demon._

Was he going crazy? Sure. That was always in the cards. Was he asking for trouble? Usually, trouble came to him no matter what, so there was no harm in welcoming it for a change. Was this the dumbest decision he'd ever made? Not in the least.

There was a part of Inuyasha that still felt it was too soon. He wanted to wait until Kagome was ready to take the next step and talk face-to-face, and for once in his life he was more than willing to play by someone else's rules, but something in his gut was telling him to go to the damn party.

Miroku had initially mentioned it, saying it was being held at Sango's neighbor's place, and invited him to go along. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together; Sango's neighbor is having a party so the chances of Kagome being there were pretty high. Kagome had let Inuyasha know about it too, confirming his assumption and being courteous enough to let him know that she was headed out tonight, and may not be able to talk much, if at all.

The only thing he'd asked for was to check in when she got home, so that he knew she was safe

He didn't plan on going. He was going to let things be. Inuyasha wanted Kagome to tell him when she was ready to see him, but something hit him not too long ago demanding he go to the party with Miroku. He couldn't place his finger on what it was. Maybe he just wanted to see her again. It would make sense. He knew he was in deep, but _damn_ , he'd never imagined he'd be so crazy about anyone in his entire life.

He dismissed the situation, settling on the idea and deciding he would just drop in. He'd pop up, say hi to a few people, get a good look at Kagome from however far he needed to be without her hand bothering her too much, and head back home. Simple. Easy. Nothing to worry about.

So then, why was he worried?

Miroku and Inuyasha approached the party, quickly having to squeeze through the crowd of people just to get through the threshold of the apartment. The people were loud, the music was louder, and Inuyasha's nose burned from the heavy scent of hard alcohol swimming around the room. Already, he was looking over the heads of people to see the one he came for. Miroku had spotted Sango almost immediately, but her best friend wasn't beside her. He continued to search, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, when finally he saw her along the far wall of the living room, wedged between a few friends and a large bookcase.

She looked fucking gorgeous, standing there with a plastic cup in the hand he communicated with her through, and in a short, tight, red dress. It hugged every curve of hers perfectly, starting at the base of her neck and ending about mid-thigh. She wore black boots to go along with it, the thick heels about three inches high and the zipper ending just above her ankle. Her black waves framed her face deliciously, her messy bangs making him want to see what the rest of her hair would do to him if it were just as misplaced. He was never quite sure what this woman was doing to him before, but now he was one-hundred percent positive he knew. Kagome had Inuyasha wrapped around her little finger, the red string of fate replaced with his life force.

The music was almost too loud to hear what her friends were talking about, but Kagome still smiled and laughed along on cue. It was your typical party setting, so it wasn't something she wasn't used to doing. She took a small sip of the tepid mixed drink in her hands, swallowing the harsh flavor and attempting to ignore the prickling in her hands.

"Hey, Kagome!" A familiar voice boomed behind her, surprisingly catching her attention over the obnoxious song that was playing. She turned around, an unwelcoming chill running down her spine as her stomach seemed to drop an inch. Not even a foot away from her stood her ex-boyfriend, arching an eyebrow at her arrogantly and donning the charming smile he was well aware he had. He wore a white, V-neck tee shirt that was too tight for the toned muscles in his arms, and black jeans accessorized with a studded belt and a chain that led to the wallet in his back pocket. Kagome forced a friendly smile the best she could, her lips only seeming to curve upwards slightly, not even revealing her teeth. "How's it goin'? Been a while."

"Oh, it's going." She replied awkwardly, peering around the room and looking for the quickest escape route. Clear across the ocean of dancing bodies, she spotted Sango. Her long, brown hair was dressed down for once and Kagome had almost missed it since she was so used to searching for an updo. Miroku stood behind Sango, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist and chin propped on the top of her head as his girlfriend chatted with their neighbor, Ayame.

Kagome unlocked the phone in her right hand with the padding of her thumb, opening up the messaging app and tapping her most recent contact.

"So, what are you doing here?" Bankotsu asked, stepping closer and smelling of the cologne Kagome always assumed he drenched himself in. She tried taking a step back to give herself some space but had very little room to work with.

"This is my friend's party. What are _you_ doing here?" She asked, typing a quick and short message and hitting send.

Sango's phone gave a short, pulsing vibration in between her thumb and index finger, one that she almost dismissed as the pounding music, that she could feel deep in her chest, had only seemed to have gotten louder since she'd shown up. Just to be sure, she glanced down at the screen as discretely as possible without being rude to Ayame. On top of the social media notifications she'd missed, a new text message from her best friend appeared. Again, keeping the phone low so as not to be rude, she opened the message and glanced at the single word it contained.

 _Shippo!_

Sango immediately scouted the room, hardly able to see over the heads surrounding them. She did a little jump, looking for the raven hair and crimson red dress.

"What are you-"

"Miroku, can you see Kagome?" She asked her boyfriend, hardly realizing that she'd pushed him off of her in her semi-frantic attempt at finding her best friend. Miroku stood merely half a foot taller than her, and she watched him turn his head and search through the room without having to stand on his tippy-toes or anything.

"Yeah, she's on the other side of the couches. Near the lamp and bookcase. Why?"

She didn't bother answering. She pushed through the maze of people, heading in the direction Miroku had pointed. It was a small apartment with far too many bodies, and she kept getting nudged along the way, the dancing couples making it hard for her to cross the living room. Finally she spotted Kagome, her profile looking as uncomfortable as uncomfortable gets while some guy hit on her, tapping her fingernail wildly against the back of her cell phone case. Sango closed the gap between her and her best friend by taking two more larger steps, clutching onto her arm and maneuvering her body so that it was somewhat wedged in between Kagome and the flirt.

"There you are Kagome!" She smiled, playing the best-friend-saves-the-day role. "I've been looking for you! Ayame wants to take shots together!" Sango peeked to her side, finally noticing who the man was, and grimaced in disgust. "Oh. Ew."

"It's nice to see you too, Sango." Bankotsu winked, not seeming the least bit fazed at her blatant disapproval.

"Mmhm… I'd say "likewise," but it'd take too much effort and I don't like you." She responded, hooking her arm in the crook of Kagome's and pulling her along. "Bye!"

"Thank you!" Kagome groaned as they got back to Miroku's side, Ayame and him breaking conversation as they approached.

"What happened?" Ayame asked, eye thin eyebrows furrowing together in worry.

"Bankotsu's here." Sango stated, not yet letting go of her friend's arm.

"What? I did _not_ invite him, I swear!"

"No, don't worry!" Kagome waving her now-free hand in front of her, having lost her drink somewhere on the other side of the room. "It's no one's fault! He's just a creep that can't move on from college parties even though he graduated, what, back in June?"

"Messy breakup?" Miroku casually asked, trying to get at least a little insight on the situation he was clearly left out of.

"The messiest." Kagome sighed. "I think I'm gonna step outside for some air really quick."

"I'll come with you!" Sango insisted, tightening her protective hold.

"No, it's okay!" Kagome assured, taking her arm back. "I'll just go grab the pina colada mix we forgot. I'll be back, I promise! We live right upstairs!"

She waited for Sango to reluctantly agree, knowing her best friend was more than willing to abandon the party to make sure she was okay, but didn't see the necessity. She was fine, she just wanted to take a break. The crowd was a bit much, and Bankotsu was even more so. She figured once she got back with the mix, she'd strictly stick to Sango's side so there was no chance of him bothering her. There was no reason for Sango to miss out on anything.

Finally, she received the nod of approval, and she turned around and maneuvered her way out the door.

Inuyasha was about ready to leave. He had a pounding headache from his sensitive senses going into overdrive, and he'd just watched Kagome walk out. He felt like a creep in a corner, watching his love interest from afar but too much of a bitch to do anything about it, but not from lack of want.

He'd watched some idiot hit on Kagome, and thankfully Sango had pulled her away from the wretched punk before Inuyasha lost his temper and stepped in. On a normal day, yeah, Inuyasha could admit he was a tad bit jealous. There was the _smallest_ part of him that didn't particularly enjoy watching men talk to his person. It was so small, in fact, that he didn't at all want to punch them in the gut and throw them across the room.

Today was not a normal day, though. Kagome looked so uncomfortable that it took all of his willpower to stay put and watch the situation play out. The guy was obnoxiously persistent and apparently too stupid to take hints. It was so painfully obvious that Kagome didn't want the guy anywhere near her, her body language screaming for distance, and the fucker kept getting closer. Inuyasha wanted to tear him to shreds. Who the fuck did he think he was?

He waited a moment after Kagome left, deciding on his next move. He could stay at the party and continue to creep, allow his irritation to boil and beat the ever-living shit out of the douche bag, or go home where he should have been this entire time. He huffed, settling on his decision and tossing his empty cup in the overflowing trash can on his way out the door. Inuyasha didn't bother to tell Miroku he was out. He figured he'd just text the guy once he got back to their apartment, so he knew not to look for him.

Inuyasha walked down the hall towards the door with the flight of stairs behind it, leading out to the bitter cold of the oncoming winter, the music still blaring even down the hall. The sound of his shoes hitting the cement stairs on his way down echoed throughout the side of the building, and as he curved around the corner to the next set of steps, he heard the door he'd exited from open violently, hitting the back wall so hard it ricocheted shut, heavy footsteps quickly heading upwards above him and halting his decent. He smelled a human. More importantly, he smelled an intoxicated male. As soon as another door opened and shut loudly, Inuyasha got a sinking feeling in his abdomen. His gut demanded he follow the guy, screaming that something bad was going to happen if he didn't.

He almost ignored it, swallowing the sickening feeling and taking another step down, stopping only when he realized Kagome's apartment was just one floor up.

He could smell her scent in the room he was in, and it was strong enough to indicate that it had only been minutes since she'd left it. Inuyasha took a few steps back, curving around the metal bar and following her aroma, noticing it got stronger above him.

Kagome must have gone back to her apartment. Where the _fuck_ was that guy headed? He clutched the bar, throwing himself around it and storming up the stairs. He threw the door to her floor open and found no one in the hall. Inuyasha followed the path Kagome set, steadily making his way down the carpeted floors and stopping at the door numbered _20_. Her apartment. He suppressed the growl that burned at his throat, the drunk bastard's scent disappearing behind the door as well.

He couldn't just barge in there. He'd look like a fucking madman, especially if he had misread the situation entirely. Inuyasha flexed his fingers in an attempt to keep himself from piercing the flesh of his palms with his sharp nails, twitching the pointed appendages on his head and concentrating on the noises inside the apartment.

Kagome backed away from the kitchen counter, the white bottle of pina colada mix firmly clutched within her hand. She was trying to assess the situation, trying to figure out what the _right_ move was and how to get her ex-boyfriend out of the apartment and as far away from her as possible. He twisted the deadbolt behind him, piercing her with his black eyes and casually leaning against the locked door.

"I've missed you." Bankotsu flashed her a toothy grin, sending an unnerving feeling coursing through her veins.

"You're drunk." Kagome stated coolly, knowing she had to keep a level head around her ex when he drank too much.

"And you're sexy. You have no idea what that dress on you is doing to me." He moved to step closer, but Kagome took a step back and shot him a dangerous look.

"Bankotsu, you should leave."

"Awe, c'mon Kagome. Haven't you missed me too?" Bankotsu shrugged, unfazed by her tone.

"Not in the least." There goes that level head. She put down the bottle of coconut and pineapple mix and crossed her arms over her chest, standing her ground. "You need to go."

He took another step closer and she refused to move, her glower only intensifying.

"I tried calling and texting after we broke up. Why didn't you answer?"

"Because we _broke up!_ You cheated on me!" Kagome fired, flailing her arms and feeling a heat burn at the apples of her cheeks.

"Hardly." Bankotsu dismissed, rolling his dark eyes.

"You slept with another woman, Bankotsu!"

"Okay, yeah, but she was just a fling. You were the real deal." He fully approached now, closing the distance between them and reaching for her vibrating hands. Before he could touch her, though, she shrugged away from him, pushing around his strong build and crossing into the hall at the foot of the entryway.

"We dated for five months because I had a rare lapse in judgment, so I'd hardly call anything about us a deal." Kagome pointed towards the door, keeping her arm stretched out until he'd get the point.

"Kagome, I'm not leaving until I get what I want." Bankotsu's voice dropped an octave, his harsh gaze boring through her façade. She scrunched her face in a deeper scowl and huffed in frustration. Her ex had always been stubborn. It was his way or his way and those were her options. Rarely was he aggressive, being the kind of guy that could get what he wanted through the art of persuasion and charm, but when he'd been drinking he became a different kind of guy. If someone refused him something he wanted, he was more than happy to fight. Kagome swallowed hard, taking a deep breath in to steady her flaring temper.

"Look, Bankotsu…" She paused, inching her way towards the door. "If you leave, I _promise_ I'll call you in the morning. We can talk when you're sober, okay?"

"How about we talk now?" His eyebrow twitched upward in a daring stare.

"You're drunk, Bankotsu. Please, just-" As she twisted the deadbolt inwards, he lunged forwards, one of his arms grasping around the small of her back and the other covering her mouth as he forced her away from the door and dropped her to lay on the couch. His body crushed her as he kissed the curve of her shoulder, his pelvis rubbing along hers, pushing his hard frame between her legs.

Kagome's head swam in a thick fog, everything moving so fast she could hardly understand how she'd been pinned and what her ex-boyfriend was trying to do. She fought and kicked under his hold, his strength powerfully topping hers, thrashing as hard as she could as he left a blisteringly hot trail of saliva up the length of her neck.

"I said _now_ , Kagome." He whispered in her ear, his voice thick and rough, pushing himself even closer to her as his jeans chaffed along her inner thighs. Her arms were pinned beneath his thick biceps, but that didn't stop her from digging her nails into the skin at his waist, scratching and scraping as hard as she could through his thin shirt. Kagome clenched the muscles in her thighs, trying with all of her might to squeeze them so hard he'd be forced to pull away. She tried to scream, tried to make any sort of loud noise that she could, but the sounds that came from her mouth were muffled by his calloused hand applying a brutal amount of pressure.

A deep and violent growl ripped through the air, the weight being pulled off of her followed with a loud bang. Kagome snapped her legs shut, feeling cold air where a hot body once laid, and rolled off of the couch to huddle along the bottom. She situated herself before she even tried to process what had happened, pulling the hem of her dress down over her exposed bottom and as far as it would go, and taking a moment to swallow the fear that attempted to paralyze her.

The growling never ceased. A deep, guttural voice spewed curses and swears left and right as a choked wheeze gasped for air. Kagome curled her trembling fingers into tightly-clenched fists to silence the terror, and slowly stood from the floor, spotting a head of long, silver hair facing the wall furthest from her. She forced her shaking muscles to move, walking around the corner of the couch to see Inuyasha pinning Bankotsu to the wall. Bankotsu's bottom lip was swollen and decorated red, dribbling onto his chin as Inuyasha's thick hands curled around his throat.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome spoke in no more than a whisper, her voice betraying her. The half demon continued to hold him against the wall, a few picture frames that were once hung shattered and broken on the floor. "Stop, Inuyasha. You'll kill him!" She said louder that time, her words breaking and cracking in between.

"I won't kill him." He growled, his scowl vicious and aimed directly at the man glaring back at him, thick calloused fingers trying to pry the half demon's claws away. "But If he ever touches you again, I fucking will!" Inuyasha pulled Bankotsu forward and slammed his head back against the wall, his fingers releasing and dropping the choking man to the floor.

Kagome's palms burned, physically aching and she walked forward to be closer to the half demon, feeling them slightly calm as their bodies grew nearer. She wrapped her fingers along his sleeve, a heavy sense of safety and warmth pooling in her gut, causing her to pull herself closer into him. He didn't move, didn't look away from her attacker, though she felt his triceps twitch as she exhaled along the back of his arm.

" _Get. Out."_ Inuyasha snarled, every muscle in his body quivering to the point where Kagome tightened her hold around his bicep, letting go of his sleeve and hooking her slender arm through his while hiding her face behind his back. She didn't want to watch Bankotsu shaking with anger on the floor and spitting watered-down blood onto her carpet. She didn't want to see his black irises looking back at her with such ferocity and rage. She just wanted this all to end.

Kagome heard rustling as her ex-boyfriend lifted his body off the ground, the click of saliva as his lips parted to speak, his lungs inhaling sharply and Inuyasha stiffened further within Kagome's trembling hold. She held her breath, waiting for a sharp tongue to come her way.

"If you say a fucking word, I'll break your goddamn neck!" Inuyasha snapped, pushing Kagome further behind him protectively.

She heard Bankotsu huff, heard him step over the broken glass of a picture frame, heard his heavy footsteps stomp away, and then heard the loud slam of her wooden door.

The room stilled, the storm finally coming to an end and the air around them quieting. Kagome released the tension in her lungs, sighing out against his sweater but not yet releasing her hold on the half demon. He meant safety to her. He meant comfort and salvation. She could feel his muscles relaxing along her body, turning slightly to face her.

"Are… you okay?" Inuyasha asked, his voice low and soothing. She nodded in response, allowing her arm to drop back to her side and stepping back so he could see her answer. "Kagome, please. _Tell_ me you're okay." He begged, managing to keep the cool tone but the crease in his brow screaming concern.

Inuyasha wanted to pull the shaken girl into his arms and never let go. He wanted to check every inch of her for scratches, bruises, or marks of any sort that the fucking asshole may have left her, but he tensed in order to stay in place. It was killing him that she looked so fragile, and he would have done anything in his power to let her know everything was going to be alright now.

He could have beaten the guy close to death for what he had done, what he was _trying_ to do, and Inuyasha wouldn't have felt a lick of remorse. He could hear everything happening behind the door, and for a moment he thought Kagome had it handled. She was gutsy and wasn't the type of girl that took shit from people, so Inuyasha thought everything was going to be okay when he'd heard her telling her ex to leave. Inuyasha had even heard the click of the lock and thought he was coming out, so he'd booked it to hide in a nook in the wall behind a plant a few doors down.

But then it all went to shit. Inuyasha heard the guy launch at her and attack, his ears catching the sound of scuffling feet, items being knocked over, and horrible, muted choked sobs escaping Kagome's throat. He heard the disgusting words the asshole whispered to her as his motives were suddenly clear, and Inuyasha flew into a fury. He threw himself into the apartment, spotting the assailant pinning Kagome down on the cushions of the couch, and grabbed the unsuspecting fucker by the collar of his shirt. Inuyasha threw him to the floor, hearing a final cry from Kagome before the sound blinded him to his wits and he picked the man up to his feet, pulled his white-knuckled fist back, and collided it with the man's mouth.

He'd only stopped because he didn't want her to see anything she didn't have to in her current state, and because he could feel his soulmate's shuddering body against his stiff arm. He knew, as badly as he wanted to keep fighting, keep throwing his fist to meet with Bankotsu's already-swelling face, his focus needed to be on her and on getting her attacker as far away as possible.

Looking at her now, watching her take each breath slowly and deeply to calm her nerves and regain composure had him breaking inside. She shouldn't have to be so strong. Kagome should have been tucked away in the safety of his arms, crying if she needed to, until she understood that she never had to stand on her own ever again. Inuyasha couldn't help but be cautious, though. She had just been attacked by her ex-boyfriend, and he didn't want to step inside her space too soon. These situations were delicate, and he'd be damned if he pushed Kagome over.

With one last exhale, the tension in her shoulders dropped and her face softened. She ran her fingers through her messy, black hair and shook her head slightly, as if to dispel everything that had just happened. No matter how strong Inuyasha thought Kagome didn't need to be, that would never stop her. And watching the smile grace her cheeks, that genuine and drop-dead-gorgeous smile that caused Inuyasha's abdomen to drop to the floor and his lungs to clench painfully, let him know just how much he loved this girl.

Inuyasha swallowed and then opened his mouth to check in with her again, silenced by her justifiably late response.

"I-I'm okay." She spoke softly, nodding again and meeting his amber gaze. "How did you know?"

"I was at the party." He responded flatly. She could feel something inside her twitch.

"You were… Why didn't you-"

"I didn't want to scare you away again! I originally wasn't gonna go, but something told me to, and _goddamn it_ , I'm glad I fucking did!"

"No, I'm not afraid anymore!" Kagome unintentionally blurted, sounding more defensive than she meant to and realizing there was more to his statement than she'd heard. "I mean… Thank you? Yeah, thank you. Awe crap." She sighed, her body slumping as she wrapped her mind around the incident that had just taken place. She bit her bottom lip, looking around at the broken pictures, lamp, and couch pillows thrown on the floor. If Inuyasha hadn't have followed his gut feeling and came along with Miroku, what would have happened? How far would Bankotsu have gotten? A sickening feeling squirmed inside of her stomach, a sour taste reaching the back of her tongue. Even now, despite the reality of the situation settling in, she didn't feel afraid. She wasn't scared of the assault or her ex-boyfriend, the explanation she'd have to give Sango, soulmates, or Inuyasha.

Kagome had never felt so rock steady in her entire life, and she wondered why she was ever so afraid in the first place when he never seemed to have any doubts about her. If she had just paid better attention, she would have noticed so much sooner. Her chocolate eyes faced forward finding his golden stare still on her, and a flurry of emotions sent her chest fluttering out of control. It was him. He was here, less than two feet away from her, looking at her like she was the only thing that had ever mattered in his life, and she felt so safe and complete and like she was a total idiot for avoiding this for as long as she did.

She reached for him, the tips of her fingers grazing along the cotton of his hoody and down the length of his arm. He didn't flinch, didn't pull away, and didn't look anywhere else but at her. Inuyasha let her do it, allowing her to take her time traveling to the heel of his hand. She stepped closer leaving inches in between them, pushing her burning hand solidly into his and entwining their fingers. Closing her hold, she allowed the fire to travel throughout each vein in her body, every single nerve ending igniting and then calming, a rush of cool relief overcoming her as her palms finally silenced for the first time in weeks.

"So," She breathed. "That's what it feels like."

" _Fuck,_ Kagome." Inuyasha tore his palm away, cradling the crook of her jaw with both hands, his fingers curving around her ears and relishing in the heat as he closed the minimal space between them and crashed his lips to hers. He kissed her with such a fury that he'd been subduing for too long, and it felt incredible to finally have Kagome in his arms, whimpering softly as he felt warm tears crawl down her cheeks. He wiped the salty trail away with the pads of his thumbs, never breaking from her, and soaking up everything he could about Kagome in that single kiss. Their lips slowly danced, as his fervor pushed her backwards, their feet stumbling over one another's until she was backed up against a wall somewhere in the hallway. She giggled into his mouth, clutching at the sweater along his waist to pull him even closer, their chests rising and falling heavily against the other's, and he gratefully swallowed her laugh.

Reluctantly, Inuyasha pulled away, resting his forehead against Kagome's and unconsciously laughing along with her. It fucking happened. He was Kagome's and Kagome was _finally_ his, and he found himself happier now than he'd ever been in his entire life. The vibrations within his hands had ceased after endlessly driving him up the fucking wall, and he found every aching step of this frustrating and crazy journey to be more than worth it, especially as Kagome continued to pull at the pocket of his hoody, his body practically molding with hers and fitting perfectly together. Inuyasha pushed the wavy, raven hair out of her face, stroking the pinks of her cheeks, and placing a scant kiss along her swollen lips.

"It's about goddamn time."


	6. Epilogue

**AN: So I originally wrote and published this fic in September/October on my Tumblr. The epilogue wasn't really expected on my end, but surprise! Here we are! It has a smutty ending, so be warned. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"Kagome, would ya slow down for a second?" Inuyasha groaned, throwing the door shut behind him as they entered Kagome's apartment.

"Nope!" She answered, stomping over to the kitchen and dropping her keys on the cheap material of the countertop. She pulled the fridge door open, snatching a water bottle from within and slamming it shut.

"You've got nothing to be upset about!" The half demon rolled his amber eyes, dropping his own keys along the small dining room table, sticking his hand in his pocket and pulling out his wallet to accompany them.

"Y'know, you can keep saying that, but it won't stop me from being mad." Kagome twisted the plastic cap off her drink, taking a quick swig of the water and shooting a scowl at her boyfriend, her tone sharp enough to pierce him through. Inuyasha groaned, the tail end of the noise growing louder with his built frustration.

"You're blowing this way out of proportion! She's my _study partner!"_

"Last I checked, you weren't taking any _anatomy_ classes!" She slammed the butt of the bottle on the counter, water splashing out of the top from the force and soaking her fingers. Kagome wiped her hand on her hip and pushed passed Inuyasha as she exited the kitchen area.

"Kagome, she touched my arm! That doesn't mean she wants to have my child!"

"Okay, first of all," She whipped around on her heels, her long, dark hair spinning with the force and settling over her shoulder. "You think I'd be this mad if all she touched was your freaking arm?!"

"It d-"

"Second, she doesn't need to be touching you at all if you're just study partners! There are plenty of other things to fill her grimy, little fingers with! For instance, pen and paper!"

"Would y-"

"Third, you should be a little more understanding of my discomfort considering _you_ can hardly stand when Hojo even looks in my general direction!"

"That's because the creep wants to get in your pants!" Inuyasha fired, flailing his arms at his side, a growl appearing in the underside of his deep voice.

"Oh, please." Kagome rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and popping her hip out as she leaned more weight over to one side. "Hojo hasn't tried a thing since you entered the picture, especially since I took the liberty of introducing you as my boyfriend. Yet you still blow a fuse when the guy's around! Did I get the same courtesy tonight, though? No! I wasn't introduced at all! As far as whats-her-face knew, I was just another study partner!"

"You're being fucking ridiculous!" Inuyasha barked, feeling his face grow heated from his flaring temper. "What does it even matter? She was just saying hi!"

Kagome stared at him a moment, mouth slightly agape as she processed his careless response. _What does it even matter?_ The question was like kindling to the fire, bringing her blood to boil in her veins. She tried to find the right rebuttal, a hundred different options flowing through her head, but all that came out of her mouth was laughter fueled by incredulity.

Inuyasha stood up straighter, growing weary of his girlfriend's new-found amusement. He knew she was pissed when she laughed like that. How did this situation get so fucking out of hand? They were on a date tonight, their first night alone in ages, which was also the start of their first weekend alone in even longer. It was nice, and even a little romantic, and then went down in a shitty ball of flames the moment his classmate walked over. Sure, she touched his bicep a little. She was the touchy-feely type, and Inuyasha never really thought much of it. Some chicks were just like that. The girl was also smart as hell, and he figured the assignment would be an easy A with their brains combined. So she liked to touch a little. Big deal. That didn't mean she was flirting like Kagome insisted.

"I can't believe I have to spell everything out to you, Inuyasha! It matters because saying hello doesn't usually entail fondling! It matters because I was clearly uncomfortable and no one seemed to give a shit! It matters because it's the respectful thing to do in that sort of situation!" Kagome yelled, tearing her sweater off her body and tossing it over the head of the couch.

"Jesus, calm down! It's nothing to get so worked up over! Are you seriously jealous of her?"

"Excuse me?"

"That's it, isn't it? You're jealous!" Inuyasha accused, crossing his own arms over his chest and standing his ground. "Are you kidding me? We're fucking soulmates, Kagome! Or do you not recall finding that shit out the hard way all those months ago?"

"That's irrelevant! That doesn't mean I'm fine with any girl rubbing herself all over you! And that definitely doesn't mean I'm jealous!"

"Then what does it mean?" The half demon cocked an eyebrow in her direction, waiting for her inevitable rebuttal.

"It means I'm mad!"

He's heard better.

"Fuck this." Inuyasha scoffed, snatching his wallet and keys back up from the wooden table. "I'm not gonna deal with your attitude."

"We haven't settled this!" Kagome said, stepping closer as he threw the door open.

"I noticed!"

"Fine! Now that your plans have freed up, why don't you take up the cleavage queen on her offer for a _study_ date?"

"At least that way my night would be peaceful!" Inuyasha stomped out of the doorway, heading down the hall without so much as looking back at his enraged girlfriend.

Kagome sucked in a strangled breath, fighting the urge to shout something offensive at him, opting to slam her apartment door and aggressively twist the bolt locked. She stared at the stained wood for a long moment, standing in place silently as her temper had her pulse pounding in her ears, hoping at any point the beating noise would fade away and become familiar footsteps coming back to her.

Nothing.

She swallowed thickly, taking a shaky inhale to steady herself, biting at the small quiver that took her bottom lip. Kagome turned around on her heel and headed down the hall to her bedroom, thankful that Sango wasn't home to hear their blowout. It wasn't often that Inuyasha and she fought like this. In fact, this was their biggest fight to date. Usually, they bickered and annoyed each other like ordinary couples. Occasionally, they found themselves in heated arguments. Never once, though, had it been so bad for one of them to storm out.

Kagome pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it into the laundry basket in the corner of the room, reaching behind her and unhooking her bra. She tossed it in the general direction of her dresser, hardly paying any mind to where it landed as she grabbed her pajamas from the bottom of her comforter. Her shirt was one of Inuyasha's, his smell still fresh on it, and she scowled at it as if the tee were her boyfriend, himself, tossing the garment into her hamper to join the rest of her dirty clothes. She yanked the second drawer of her dresser open, the small items decorating the top of the painted wood jostling slightly from her force, settling for the first tank top she saw and pulling it over her shoulders, mindlessly adjusting the straps so they weren't twisted and lifting the bottom parts of her layered waves out of the inside of the black top. The moment her jeans were removed and her flannel pajama bottoms were snug on her hips, she couldn't seem to further swallow the emotion that began to overwhelm the barricade she'd put up in an attempt to ward them off. It was meager at best, really. Changing could only keep you so occupied.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her anger slowly shifting into a deep guilt, hiding her face behind her cupped hands. So what if she was jealous? It's not everyday some chick walks on over to Inuyasha, treats him like a tasty piece of meat, and drags her ratchety nails from his chest to his ear right in front of her. The motion had completely set Kagome off. What if this happened every time they worked on their assignment together? What if this no-named study partner thought she had the liberty to touch her boyfriend whenever and wherever she wanted? Inuyasha clearly wasn't stopping her, nor did he seem to have an inkling of a problem with it. If the roles were reversed, the half demon would have tossed a table right there in the restaurant in a wild fit, so why was it so unjustified for Kagome to get upset?

Because Kagome didn't throw tantrums like that. Sure, she had a dangerous temper, but she _really_ tried not to let it muddle her thought process. It wasn't like her to fight without reason, and act territorial, and refuse to hear Inuyasha out. Tonight, her emotions clearly got the better of her, and Inuyasha leaving like this _scared_ her. And what makes this all so much worse is she didn't even try to stop him. She hated fighting with him. She hated any tense silence between them. She hated the gaping hole in her chest, and the burning behind her eyelids as the tears threatened to spill over, and the way a painful lump swelled in the center of her throat.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha wanted to toss his phone out the window of his parked car, staring at the text message he'd received about forty-five minutes ago but hadn't noticed until now.

 _Offer stands, Inu. Pizza, beer, and homework at my place tomorrow... is it a date?_

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Every single accusation Kagome threw his way started to make sense, and he hated every bit of it. An unsettling feeling bubbled up in his stomach from a combination of the sudden realization, the cliche, romcom, motherfucking message, and the plausible thought of what sort of hell would break loose if he'd returned it. They were assigned this project two weeks ago, and his partner was definitely just as bold from the get-go, so how he hadn't noticed until now was beyond even him. She usually had a hand on his forearm at all times, giving little strokes, glides, or squeezes when she giggled. Sure, it was weird considering he wasn't even that funny, nor did he necessarily care for it all, but he also didn't think it was all that significant to stop her. Had he put two-and-two together, or even thought about it the same way Kagome had, he would have never let it happen. Had he known his girlfriend would have been affected like this, he definitely wouldn't have allowed her to carry on with her touchy-feely tendencies.

The thing was, he _didn't_ think like Kagome. He wasn't one to worry about female advances, because Kagome had his undivided attention since the moment they'd met; the soulmate thing kind of made sure of that. It was natural for him to dismiss the notion that anyone would be flirting with him, because he legitimately never noticed that shit. In comparison, _It wasn't important._ So, now that he was sitting alone in his car still parked outside of Kagome's apartment, the proof sitting in his goddamn hand, grimacing at his shortened name, he felt like the fucking ass he made himself out to be.

Inuyasha grunted through his sigh, locking his phone and dropping it in the passenger seat, no longer wanting to see the ill-timed notification. The half demon couldn't bring himself to put his car in drive, the soothing rumble of the engine hardly heard over the music playing on the stereo. He needed to fix this. Kagome had every right to be pissed; he should have _never_ let that girl touch him in the first place.

A familiar tickle on his left hand caught his attention, and on instinct, he glanced down at it. There was no writing, of course. That effect had disappeared the moment Kagome and he joined hands, but the sensations, though dulled, still lingered. Still, he turned on the light overhead, waiting to see if anything would show up. Nothing. Inuyasha could feel large letters being traced out, the tingle making it hard for him to figure out what was being written. He waited a moment after the sensations stopped, hoping the ink she used would bleed through his skin like a sharpie on paper, and even though his hand remained clean, he could practically feel the desperate pull dragging him back to her. Without another thought, he grabbed his cell phone, punched the overhead light off, twisted the keys out of the ignition, and headed back to Kagome.

He quickly climbed the staircase, his shoes smacking against the floor and echoing throughout the chamber, coming out on her floor and making his way back up the hall, his eyes glued to the mahogany-colored door. Without hesitation, Inuyasha knocked lightly, his stomach fluttering uncomfortably as soft footsteps approached from inside. The bolt loudly clicked from the socket, the frame creaking as Kagome opened up her entry, the dim light from the lamp in the distance illuminating the area. She peered at him from around the edge of the wood, only a small part of her body curving around as she pulled the door back further for him to step through, her cheeks flushed and eyes noticeably puffy.

Inuyasha stood near the dining table once more, setting his keys down and never tearing his eyes from Kagome as she closed and locked the door, slowly turning to face him. Her head was hung, almost ashamedly, as she chewed her bottom lip between her teeth, her big, brown eyes locking with his gaze and causing his gut to churn painfully. Inuyasha hated a lot of shit in this world; curry, his brother, shopping, traffic, conflict, the post office, but above all that was seeing the girl he loved so goddamn much with every aching bone in his body cry.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, the feeble sound causing his shoulders to sag. Did she really think he was still mad? There was no fucking way he could ever stay mad when seeing her like this; every ill feeling flew out the window when he felt her scratching at his palm to get his attention. Kagome only did that when she was feeling playful or sad. More often the latter. It was her way of talking without actually having to talk. She didn't even have to pick up her phone and type anything out. They had a permanent connection, and when she wanted to get his attention without being too obvious, she took advantage of it. Which ironically, was more obvious to him than anything else she could possibly do because Inuyasha had become so attuned to the sensations.

"It's-"

"Don't say it's okay. It's never okay for me to act like I don't trust you, Inuyasha." Kagome reached out for him, her right hand empty for only a small moment before Inuyasha held it with his own, easily using it to pull her into his arms. She immediately hid her face in his chest, and he caught a strong whiff of fresh tears, his arms reflexively tightening their hold around her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Would you quit crying?" He whispered into her ear, feeling her shake her head against his sternum in response. He bit back his chuckle as her small arms squeezed around his waist. "No?"

Kagome shook her head again, this time with a muffled _nuh uh_ to go along.

"You won't?"

She shook her head, trying to burrow her face further.

"Are you getting your makeup on my shirt?"

She nodded.

"Alright, bedroom. Now." Inuyasha led her down the hall, forcing Kagome to walk backwards as she clung to him, her feet only stumbling a little until she adjusted to his stride. He shut the door behind him, a gesture he was used to taking even though they had the apartment to themselves for the weekend, and sat her down on the side of her bed. The half demon stepped back and peeled his shirt off, noticing there was only a small smudge of makeup. "You've done worse."

"I took most of it off, already." Kagome said, giving a little shrug and wiping at the drying tears on her cheeks. She watched as he dropped the shirt to the floor, leaning over to turn her desk lamp on and headed across the room to switch off the harsh, over-head light. Her bedroom now swam in a mellow, calming color, most of the nooks and curves shadowed from the small lamp's disadvantage. Inuyasha sat on the bed next to her, his arms resting on his thighs, her body tilting toward him from the small dip his weight provided in the mattress.

"So... you were right." He admitted, voice gruff. His amber eyes stared down at her carpet, still partially able to reflect the sullen, yellow light.

"Hm?"

"She was, uh... she was flirting."

"Oh?" It wasn't often the half demon would admit someone else was right, especially after an argument. It was no secret that he was prideful, and she made sure to keep her tone as steady as possible, showing level interest so that Inuyasha wouldn't feel like there was any chance she would rub it in his face.

"She invited me over."

"Yeah, I was there." Kagome remarked flatly.

"No, I mean again. And the texts I had suddenly made perfect sense. I guess I never paid any mind to her advances before because I had you, Kagome. No other girl could ever match up, so why bother acknowledging them? I should have caught on and told her to knock it off or something, but to me Yura was just a very attentive study partner. I never meant for any of this to happen."

She tried not to react to the persistency of the girl, or even that fact that she seemed to have a name, honing in only on his explanation. If there was ever a _right_ thing to say, it was that. Kagome felt like a complete and total jerk, and she took her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it as she repeated his words over and over in her head.

"If you're about to apologize again, don't. I just said you were right -stop chewing on your lip, you're gonna make it bleed again." Inuyasha gently dragged the pad of his thumb along the underside of her lip, willing her teeth to release their hold. She had a bad habit of doing that when she was anxious or stressed, and if it happened around him, he made sure to stop her before she incidentally hurt herself.

"It's not that I wanted to be right. In fact, I wish I weren't. I wish it never happened in the first place and the lurker kept her hands to herself. I just got so mad when she - _ugh_... and when she winked -don't even get me started! Like, who does that?! It was obvious you were there with me! I mean, we're _clearly_ a couple! If she's made it this far in university, chances are she's smart enough to piece that puzzle together! It's not even one of those tricky, hundred-piece puzzles! It's a preschool-level, eight-piece, large, foam puzzle! What, do I have to sit in your lap to properly stake my claim? Figure it out and back off, lady!"

"Ah, so you _were_ jealous." Inuyasha smirked, cocking an eyebrow in response to her enthusiastic rant.

"Yeah, what of it?" Kagome huffed, rolling her eyes as the nerve of his classmate still crawled under her skin, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from her overly-amused boyfriend.

"So, what about this whole thing made you jealous? Tell me so I can make sure it never happens again."

"No way! You're too happy about all this!"

"I'm serious! I've never seen you like this before! I need to know what tipped the scale!" Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to fill the minor gap between them, his hand gliding down the material of her pajama bottoms that covered her thigh. "It's for science."

"Well in that case, Bill Nye, you know exactly what it was! She did the whole _touching_ thing!" Kagome groaned, mindlessly following his direction and turning herself around, leaning a knee over his leg to straddle him.

"Miroku touches me all the time, and you aren't jealous of him." He said, rubbing his thumb over the small, smooth portion of skin showing at her midriff, the tight tank top riding up her sides.

"Miroku only touches you sexually when he's drunk, and usually when that happens I, myself, am drunk enough to find it amusing."

"Oh, so is it just sober people?"

"I've only encountered one stupid enough to try anything, so it's just _her_."

"Ah, okay. Noted." Inuyasha lengthened his back, leaning up to press a scant kiss to her soft lips. "Tell me in as much detail as possible what she did that you didn't like."

"She came over." Kagome said plainly, cocking a brow at the half demon. He merely copied her expression, leaning a hand back against the mattress to better hold himself up.

"You're gonna have to give me a little more than that. I can't stop every girl from coming over to talk."

"Alright, fine." She dropped her fingers to the back of the hand he held to her hip, raking her nails up his forearm so slowly and gently, small bumps began raising on his skin beneath her touch. "You see, I was completely disregarded when she came over, and it only took her about fifteen seconds to put her hands on you." Kagome leaned in just a smidge closer, Inuyasha's gaze glued to her own, keeping her voice hushed. Her fingers continued their trek along his arms, curving over his bicep to give a meager massage.

"That was incredibly rude of her." His tone matched her own as he pushed himself up just a little straighter, regretting the distance he'd created by leaning back.

"I think so, too." She agreed, nodding as if she were giving a lesson and confirming his answer. "I also thought it was rude that she just... kept going. Clearly, she's _awful_ at minding a person's personal space." Kagome trailed her fingers over to his pec, drawing little patterns into his bare skin with the tips of her nails over and over until a light, red line appeared.

"You're right. I'm definitely gonna have to set her straight." Inuyasha gave a barely-audible grunt, watching as she took her bottom lip between her teeth once more, this time without an ounce of worry. Still, on instinct, he placed his thumb to her chin, just below where her teeth bit along the plump, pink skin, willing her to let go. She grabbed his hand, guiding his palm back to her thigh and leaving it there, giving a gentle grind as she pressed herself even closer, her hot breath dancing along his skin.

"But you know, what I hated most of all..."

Inuyasha clutched the thickness of her leg, his free hand curving around her ass in hopes she'd roll her hips again.

"Was when she grabbed your ear..." Kagome rubbed the appendage in between her forefinger and thumb, giving a teasing and gentle tug, her other hand holding him at the crook of his jaw as her voice died off to a whisper. "Like she owned you."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her butt, practically begging her to grind against him. Kagome tensed her inner thighs, holding herself still, hovering just above his erection that continued to grow harder and harder. "Looks like it wouldn't have hurt to sit on my lap, and what was it? _Stake your claim?"_

"Mhm." She hummed, moving further away from his hips as she rose to her knees. She placed her hands flat against his chest, pushing him to lay back, her own body never more than a few inches away from his own. Kagome dipped her head down to hover her mouth over his own, her hips still propped above him as his hands glided up and down the length of her thighs. "I've realized the best part about this is, I'll never have to. She could touch, and grope, and stroke, and flirt to her little heart's content, and it wouldn't make a difference. See, you didn't bat an eye at her, and..."

She brushed her lips to his, kissing him slowly, softly, tantalizingly, her teeth scraping against his bottom lip to draw out that helpless sigh from him she'd been waiting for.

 _"You're weak for me."_

A deep rumble emitted from Inuyasha's chest as he braced his feet on the edge of the mattress, propping his knees up behind Kagome's bottom. He hugged an arm around her waist, swiftly rolling her over to lay beneath him. "You got that right."

She giggled, spreading her legs further apart to welcome him in. His body radiated a heat she craved, her hands immediately grazing his naked chest as he peppered lingering kisses down her neck. She could feel his arm reach down, his pelvis only inches away from hers as he unbuttoned his jeans and adjusted himself, allowing him to grind against her with pleasured ease. Kagome swallowed her moan as she arched her back, trying to feel his chest pressed against her thin shirt.

One at a time, Inuyasha grabbed her wrists, arresting them above her head like he knew she loved more than she'd ever admit, sitting up to watch her breath hitch in her chest right on queue. Black scribbles caught his peripherals, his attention shifting to her left hand. He splayed out his fingers, pushing his hand into hers, her own fingers flattening with the pressure before he pulled away.

 _Come back._

A dull ache spread throughout the cavity of Inuyasha's chest. He swallowed thickly, his amber eyes meeting her deep browns, releasing one of her wrists to better opt for cradling her neck, crushing her lips in a passionate and heated kiss. He'd forgotten all about the message, caught up in each little moment with Kagome since he'd reentered her home. She moaned into his mouth and he happily swallowed the soft sound, his tongue diving in to taste her own, everything moving so slowly and wonderfully, and he swore he would show Kagome right then and there that, when it came to him, there would never be a reason to feel jealous again.

There wasn't another woman alive that could make Inuyasha feel even an inkling of what she did to him.

Kagome lifted her hips, trying desperately to meet his, his jeans chaffing roughly along her thighs even through her flannel bottoms. Inuyasha pushed her back to the mattress, breaking their kiss, and traveling down her panting abdomen as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her pajamas, pushing them down as he kissed further and further. She took over as he rose, kicking off her bottoms from the knee down while he hurriedly removed his jeans, throwing them to the ground without looking at where they landed.

He pressed his body to hers once more, absent-mindedly rolling his pelvis as soon as the heat that soaked through her panties washed over him, a guttural grunt leaving his throat of its own volition. Again, he grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head, a weak gasp leaving Kagome's mouth as he ground into her once more. He spread her fingers wide, putting more pressure on her left side, dragging his hand back and forth over the offending palm that matched pace with his bucking hips.

Inuyasha wanted the message gone. The fight was over. Done with. Easily forgotten in the midst of their heated passion and playful teasing. There was no need for either of them to see the reminder, bringing him to increase the amount of friction he applied, Kagome never once protesting or closing her hand until he was properly satisfied with her blotched and dirtied, illegible palm. He dipped down, giving a heavy thrust that she met with her own, hovering his mouth just above hers and backing out of reach as she pursed hers for a kiss, their lips grazing ever so lightly.

She hated when he did that.

"I thought I was supposed to be doing the teasing." Kagome stated, pouting up at him. He smiled, unable to help it, and placed a kiss to her forehead, slowing his hips as she tensed her thighs against him.

"Oh, is _that_ what you were doing?"

"Shut up! I want top!" She bucked upward, tensing her thighs even further and pushing against his grip on her wrists, hardly budging her boyfriend who smirked amusedly at her. "Inuyasha! Move!"

"Yeah, keep going, this is romantic."

"I'm not trying to _woo_ you, I'm trying to _fuck_ you."

"Excuse me, did you just curse?" Inuyasha asked, his expression beaming of both delight and shock.

"I will fight you, Inuyasha, I swear. There's one night of every month where I _can_ take you, and I will take full advantage of it in a couple of weeks, so help me-"

"Say it again." He teased, dropping to the crook in her neck, dragging his tongue along the dip in an attempt to find the spot that made her weak.

Kagome gasped, unconsciously opening her neck to his ministrations, her chest arching into him once he found it, sucking and nipping at the spot until her fingers clenched shut and a whimper left her mouth.

"I want…"

"Say it." His hushed breath against her wet skin sent a ripple of chills down her body, and he gave a slow and steady grind against her, biting back a hiss of his own as the deliciously heady scent of her reached his nose. Inuyasha gave a powerful suck with intentions to leave a mark, keeping his firm grip against Kagome's wrists as she writhed against him.

" _F-fuck…"_ It was drawn out and hoarse, and it made Inuyasha's cock throb painfully. Quickly, he flipped Kagome over so she laid on her belly, gripping her hips to prop her bottom up until her knees supported her weight for him. Kagome pushed her upper body up, leveling her position, peaking at him over her shoulder as she waited patiently for his next move. Without haste, Inuyasha stood off the bed and removed his boxers, enjoying her stare before he kneeled back behind her, letting his cock rub against her silky panties.

Kagome sucked in a breath, the heat from his member searing her skin, causing her head to hang down. She heard him whisper something along the lines of _be careful,_ noticing that she'd come dangerously close to the wall her bed rested against, but she didn't care. She'd learned on more than one occasion that bumping your head against the wall or bed frame, be it once or multiple times, was well worth it when it came to this. Inuyasha pulled his hips back, but before she could protest in any way, she felt the pads of his fingers stroke over the thin material that covered her, bringing out a moan that she couldn't manage to swallow in time.

Inuyasha dragged his middle and index back and forth, the heat soaking through her panties, wanting so badly to caress her wet folds as her bottom wriggled to feel more. Once more, he pressed himself against her, reaching up and grabbing a handful of dark hair, her tank top riding up her back to follow the curve of her spine. He stopped grinding, knowing that if he continued to stroke himself with her heat he'd be done for too quickly, instead opting to distract himself with the beautiful sight of her toned back muscles peaking out from the black top she still wore. Inuyasha pushed her shirt up to show more and more, watching as she arched a little further at his tickling touch, curving his fingers around her waist and leaning over her.

"You still want top?" He whispered huskily into her ear, his fingers still entwined in her black strands.

"Y-yes." Kagome managed to say, relishing in the feel of Inuyasha pushed up against her, hovering over her, holding her, gripping her, breathing on her. She didn't necessarily care _what_ position they were in anymore, her mind fogging over, her core beginning to ache as he continued to make her wait. At this point, she would agree to anything.

"I'll tell you what…" Inuyasha released her hair and reached down, pushing the blue, cheeky panties to the side while he adjusting himself. She whimpered at the small touches he granted her, and it sent a wild and flaming thrill through his veins. "You come, we switch. Fair?"

It was all Kagome could do just to nod. She gripped the blankets beneath her palms as he slid inside of her, biting her lip to stifle the whine, leaning back to welcome more of him in. Inuyasha grunted, the sound causing her to shudder against him, the hand on her waist tightening its hold as he thrusted. His pace evened out, gently grazing his free hand down her sides until curving around her ass, squeezing the thick, fleshy area, a low rumble reaching her ears. She swore she could feel the vibrations course through her.

Inuyasha leaned over her once more, his fingers curving around the bone of her hip, nails scraping the tender skin, his pace quickening as he began to slam into her. His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to him as his fingers trailed to the apex of her thighs, pushing the underwear aside further as he searched for the sensitive bud that would throw her over the edge in no time. Kagome whimpered as he slowly got closer, taking his time as he carefully rubbed her folds, her grip on the comforter slipping as he continued to fuck her hard.

She gasped as he grazed her clit, almost sliding forward into the wall but his hand shot to the bed, stopping her collision. Her hips bucked back against him as he continued to tease the bundle of nerves, the pad of his calloused finger sliding over it, each time harder and harder until she was writhing and moaning beneath him, ducking down to hide her face in the thick covers beneath them.

"Take over." He ordered, and she did as she was told, reaching down with one hand to rub her clit, his fingers only moving away when he felt her push them aside. Inuyasha straightened upright, his hands anchoring at her waist as he fucked Kagome into the comforter, skin slapping skin, her whines growing to cries which evolved into broken versions of his name as she wriggled and tensed and came closer and closer to climax.

Kagome gasped, the high pitched sound stopping midway through her throat as an overwhelming fire took over her body, her thighs quivering as they fought to hold even a little of her own weight. Inuyasha slowed to a stop, bending over her to press light kisses in between her shoulder blades, stroking her sides until her breathing steadied and her body seemed to stop shaking.

She pressed herself up, the half demon following her lead as she rose to stand on her knees, pulling out of her and curving around to the front of her body. He kissed her shoulder, pushing the strap of her tank top down her arm, her head lolling to the side to welcome his warm and wet ministrations. The tips of his fingers traveled down her arms, feeling the small bumps that rose in response to his gentle touch as he grazed back up just to trail over her breasts, his hands lingering for a small moment to kneed and massage. He licked up the length of her neck, sighing out as he reached her jaw, his fingers curling around the hem at the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up to remove. Their chests pressed to one another's just as quickly as they had pulled away, the warmth of her naked skin burning his own in the most wonderful fashion, bringing him to pull her closer as they kissed softly, slowly. Her hands curved around the crook of his jaw, holding him to her, and he sighed out raggedly, knowing full and well he could kiss her for hours on end and be perfectly content with the time spent.

Kagome had to be the one to break away, pushing him to lay back along the pillows at the top of the bed, following his path as he propped himself up to a seated position. His amber eyes traveled down her body, drinking the sight of her in, his gaze stopping at the blue panties she donned, then flicking back up to her, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively.

" _No,_ you may not rip these! I like this pair!" Kagome said, quickly pulling the silky garment down to her knees so she could wiggle them off.

"You say that about every pair." Inuyasha droned, rolling his eyes.

"That's because _I_ paid for them."

He huffed as he gave in, welcoming her thighs along each side of his body as she straddled him, running his hands over every inch of soft skin he could possibly touch until reaching her neck. Inuyasha pulled her down for another kiss, their lips dancing perfectly with one another's as she alined their bodies and sat back onto his cock, taking all of him in.

He groaned as she splayed her fingers out on his abdomen, raking her nails along the way, feeling his muscles tense in response to her touch and her hips that moved against him agonizingly slowly. Kagome took her time, rolling in a grinding motion, sitting up to watch the half demon watch _her_. He had a habit, she noticed, of staring while she worked. His hands would find her waist, or the place where her thighs and ass met, and grip firmly, while he studied her every move with heated eyes. He would respectively start at her face, usually watching her mouth and the way she stifled her noises by biting her lip, and at this point in the game, he was too distracted to stop her. Then, he would travel down to her breasts, undoubtedly bouncing with her motions that she would intentionally speed up the tiniest amount. He tended to linger when he reached her tummy, and Kagome never knew why, but loved it nonetheless, his sultry stare doing things to her that his hands and mouth couldn't.

Inuyasha's grip on her tightened as she gave a deep roll of her hips, her entire body going into the movement. Fuck, he loved when she did that. He loved when she rode him, period. She was so fucking beautiful, it almost wasn't fair, and what made it even worse was that she took her damn time with him. Kagome took the reins and she held them with care, making sure to handle the ropes with practiced ease, and _good lord_ did she know what she was doing. The grunt that left his lips was deep, raspy, and low, almost a growl, and he gripped the fleshy parts of her hips, guiding her into a faster motion as he pushed his own up to meet her.

Kagome's hands fumbled along his chest, gripping at his shoulders the moment her fingers reached them, following his demands and speeding up her pace, unable to stop the whine she gave in response to his cock thrusting inside to match stroke-for-stroke. She watched his jaw drop, heard his heavy breath hitch in her chest, felt his body tense beneath her. Inuyasha was getting close, a curse word laced into each gasp and groan, his hands clumsily running along her skin with no intention other than to touch and cling to any part of her that he could. Kagome braced a hand on the bed frame behind his head, gripping the top of the wooden board as she used the sturdy material to push herself down in an angled glide, her clit rubbing against him perfectly.

He grabbed her neck and closed the scant distance, crushing their lips together in a messy kiss, unwilling to allow their bodies to separate as he felt her walls begin to constrict harder and harder. Their moans clashed as their bodies pressed together in synced and unchoreographed movements, the bed frame banging against the wall behind them until Kagome's body went taut. Inuyasha swallowed her drawn out and broken cry, taking over, thrusting upward just a few more times until he met the tail end of her climax with his own. His fingers threaded into her hair, entangling in the thick strands at the back of her head as he rode out his orgasm.

Their bodies went slack, Kagome's head falling to his shoulder as her arm went limp along the pillows. She gave a deep sigh of approval. Whenever they laid like this, pressed to one another, she could feel his heart beating against her chest, a sensation that could so easily soothe every worry her body harbored. They stayed like that as long as they could until the night air brought a chill, Kagome finally shifting off Inuyasha so they could crawl beneath the blanket. Still, they huddled close, the two of them gently drawing designs into each other's skin with their fingers, some spots tickling more than others.

"Still think you have a reason to be jealous?" Inuyasha asked jokingly, his voice soft and breathy. He pushed hair out of her face, following the length of the dark strands over the side of her cheek and around her neck.

"Shut up." Kagome rolled her eyes, flicking his chest in warning.

"Just making sure." He laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead when she didn't push him away as he'd expected. "I love you."

It wasn't something he said often. Kagome was well aware that he would prefer to speak with his body language when it came to anything sentimental, and luckily she picked up on what he was conveying just as easily as if he'd screamed the words to an audience. If he never once said it aloud, or chose to never say it again, she'd still perfectly understand how he felt. Inuyasha was wonderful and kind, fiery and passionate, guarded and protective. He was her heart. She never had anything to worry about with him. "I love you." She smiled.


	7. Stay

I honestly didn't expect to write more for _It's About Time_. I considered ending it at Part 5, but then an epilogue was requested. I thought that would be the finale, but I received a suggestion to write their first time together and I ran away with it. I'd say, out of the whole series, this was my favorite part to write. I poured my heart and soul into the entirety of _It's About Time_ , and I'm happy to finally leave it off with this last piece.

Again, this is about their first time together, so there will be some smut ahead.

Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and follows I've received! It means the world to me. 3

* * *

Inuyasha turned the keys in the ignition, bringing the soft hum of the car to a stop, the silence surrounding them comfortable. Kagome was looking over at him, a soft smile curving her pink lips up, the color of her cheeks shadowed by the clouded sky blocking the moonlight. He reached over, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, grazing his thumb along her soft skin, relishing in the look she was giving him. It was tender and calm, her eyes expressing contentment.

"Thank you for dinner." She said, leaning into his touch. "But, seriously, can I pay next time?"

"No." He said flatly, shaking his head. "I don't know why you want to pay so bad."

"To be fair."

"It's a _date,_ Kagome. Men pay. That's how it goes; I don't make the rules." Inuyasha shrugged.

"Yeah well, jokes on you, manly man." Kagome said, scrunching her nose. "I paid the tab."

Inuyasha blinked at her, cocking his head in confusion. "I'm pretty sure I gave the waitress my credit card."

"Mhm, but my bathroom break right after wasn't actually a bathroom break."

"What?"

"I met her at the register." Kagome smiled deviantly. "She knew the ropes; girlfriend has to secretly pay because boyfriend wants to seem like a gentleman even after their eighth date."

"Eighth?" Inuyasha cocked a brow, ember eyes staring at her skeptically.

"Close enough."

"Wait, but I got the receipt! I signed and tipped!" The half demon quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, lifting his hips to maneuver the wallet out of his back jean pocket.

Kagome tried not to laugh, but not even pressing her lips into a tight line could fight off the puff of air that left her lungs as she fell into a fit of giggles. Inuyasha's face had fallen as he examined the crumpled receipt he'd shoved into the fold of his wallet, noticing the small, black text just below the blank signature line on the customer's copy reading _Kagome Higurashi_.

"I was- oh my god- I was so surprised you didn't notice! I totally thought you'd throw the receipt at my face in the middle of the restaurant!" She clutched her sides, her muscles cramping from how hard she was laughing, the dull stare she received from Inuyasha making it worse. A short-lived crumpling sound pulled her slightly out of her reverie, and she opened her tear-blurred eyes in time to see the balled up receipt just before it hit her nose, bringing another round of light giggles.

"All you've shown me is I can't trust you to use the restroom anymore."

"Inuyasha!"

"Nope! You gotta pee, you better hold it till I bring your ass home!" Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms over his chest while shrugging a shoulder.

Kagome crawled her upper body over the center console, loving how he never backed away from her no matter how mad he pretended to be, turning to welcome her kiss. She grazed her fingers over his jaw, following the sharp line of his face to meet his neck, curving her hand around the nape. She could feel his arms relax over his chest, opening up for her, his hands softly stroking her arms. She didn't mean for the kiss to be her partial undoing, her body tensing in a way to control her need to take more of him in as she tilted her mouth away and sighed out against his chin. "It's okay to… let me pay for things, Inuyasha. It's just me. I'm not someone you have to try and woo." Kagome leaned back, taking his hand in hers and pressing their palms together. "This is us, remember?"

Inuyasha shook his head disbelievingly, licking the taste of her off his bottom lip. "Oh, I'm _definitely_ still gonna try and woo you."

"Fine," She smiled. "I'll wait you out. You'll exhaust yourself sooner or later."

The half demon exhaled roughly, closing the space between them to kiss her some more. Good lord, this woman drove him crazy. She was as equally stubborn as he was, compassionate, unfairly gorgeous, and wildly independent. He'd learned so much about her since they first held hands just over three weeks ago, confirming they were soulmates, quickly making them inseparable, and he found himself eagerly wanting to know more. He wasn't sure if the whole _fated_ part of things played a roll in this, but he was unnaturally excited whenever she was near, his body physically aching to be directly beside her, content with whatever sort of contact he could get. He could easily get greedy, as could anyone in his situation, but it was also so easy to feel wholly satisfied. With Kagome, holding hands was enough. Hugging thrilled him. The small kisses he'd receive in the halls of their college when they crossed paths as she ran from one class to the next had him melted into a pathetic puddle on the floor. He'd never had the pleasure of feeling this way before; thoroughly happy and unafraid of judgement. _This is us_. No, to him it was just _her_. He couldn't bring himself to reach, even as she began to get more and more into their kisses each and every time, little-by-little, their tongues exploring one another's mouths, her hands steadily grazing over his skin, starting at the neck and stopping at his shoulders, growing more courageous night after night and dipping her fingers beneath the collar, or even tickling the skin just above his jeans. The things she did to him with that breathy sigh and her curious fingers. The things she did to him with the blushed, bashful looks and swollen lips. He was so fucking lucky with exactly what he had.

"You need to get inside." Inuyasha said, inching away as she inched forward. He chuckled as she whined, their foreheads now pressed together, mouths so close but not touching. At first, she shook her head, playfully denying him, but he granted her one last, tantalizing kiss that she sighed into, her hot breath dancing down the skin of his cheek, and she finally nodded.

"Come on." He smiled, opening his door. "I'll walk you up."

No matter how many times she'd tell him he didn't have to escort her from the parking lot to the fifth level of the apartment complex, Inuyasha wouldn't listen. In fact, Kagome was pretty sure he was literally never listening when she told him not to. He wouldn't respond with one of his infamous grunts, wave her off, or tell her to deal with it. This was one of the only things her boyfriend would actively ignore while proceeding about his business, wrapping an arm over her shoulder and leading her up the staircase. From the get-go, Inuyasha was more protective than she'd initially expected. Maybe because of the situation he'd found her in when they first got together, or maybe because that's just how he was naturally. Truth was, she hadn't figured it out yet.

It was quiet on her floor, the clap from the heel of her boots muffled by the old, brown carpet. This was the part she hated; unlocking the deadbolt, saying goodnight, the last kiss of the evening, watching him walk away, that dull ache that resided in her chest when he wasn't next to her anymore. Tonight, it was worse. The saddening sensation began to grow in the car, grew worse inside the stairwell, and had sunk into her gut by the time her key was in the lock twisting it open. She told herself it was normal. It was a new relationship. They were in the _honeymoon stage_. All she had to do was swallow the feeling and it would dissolve by the time she changed into her pajamas, but tonight everything felt so different. Kagome wanted more from him; not that what she was getting wasn't enough. In fact, everything had been so completely wonderful and intoxicating that she found herself wanting to see how long it would take until she was addicted.

Apparently, she was standing at the border.

The apartment was dark and empty, the soft meow from Sango's cat sitting on the head of the sofa greeting them. She looked back at Inuyasha, the small grin on his face sending a flurry of flutters through the entirety of her abdomen. She desperately didn't want to hear him say goodnight, but she knew the words were about to come from his mouth. Quickly, she leaned onto the tips of her toes, ever-so-gently grazing her lips along his bottom one, stopping him mid-word.

Inuyasha looked down at her, the pink on her cheeks subtly growing brighter as her chocolate eyes looked back at him with an emotion he couldn't quite determine. Her mouth was slightly parted still, the fluorescent light of the hallway shining off the fine sheen on her plump lips. His voice had faded away completely, and he knew there was absolutely no chance of retrieving it now. On their own accord, his fingers had threaded into her thick, dark hair just behind her ear, gripping gently, bringing her up to meet him half way as their mouths pressed together in a kiss so sweet, so slow that even _he_ grunted softly into it.

Kagome pulled him closer, grasping at the front of his button up, the warmth of her body seeping through her dress like liquid through cloth. It was almost too much to handle. The faint vibration of her mewl against his mouth knocked the remainder of the air from his lungs, and he had to pull away, no matter how bad he didn't fucking want to.

"I should go." He said, pushing her bangs aside and placing one last, scant kiss to her forehead.

Kagome leaned against the door frame, watching him head toward the stairwell, his long, silver hair swaying slightly with his strides. Before she knew it, she'd opened her mouth. Before her nerves got the better of her, she managed to speak confidently enough that anyone would think she'd rehearsed it.

"Inuyasha," He turned around mid-step, a dark brow arched in question. "Stay."

The half demon smiled, suddenly overcome by a happiness he hadn't expected to feel at her request. It didn't take a signal from his brain to tell his feet to head back to her immediately; Kagome was like a magnet drawing him in. As soon as he was within arms reach, he grabbed her, their lips colliding in the kind of kiss that would make passersby think they hadn't seen each other in months. Her feet stumbled backwards inside the entrance of her apartment, Inuyasha's solid footing keeping her from tripping any further as she wrapped an arm around his neck and threw the door shut with the other.

They were breathing heavily, brought on by the build up of their excitement, Kagome's fingers traveling down his arms and to his hands gripped at her waist. Her deep brown eyes gazed up at him as she took her bottom lip between her teeth and led him the remainder of the way to her bedroom. He hoped he didn't appear as nervous as he felt, glad she wasn't the one with the heightened senses and wouldn't be able to hear the sound of the palpitations behind his ribcage, but if she put a hand to his chest, she'd no doubt be able to feel it, and whatever cover he was managing to pull off would be blown.

Slowly and gently, Kagome nudged Inuyasha to sit on her bed, backtracking slightly to close her bedroom door. She turned on the light on her desk, preferring the softer hues it gave off to the harsh ones of her overhead light, glancing back at the half demon behind her.

"Are-are you sure, Kagome?" He asked, ember eyes piercing her, looking for the honesty he knew she'd give.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She answered without hesitation.

"I'm serious. We don't have to do anything if you aren't ready. We could just lay here… Sleep."

"Inuyasha, I want this. I want _you."_ Kagome assured him, moving to stand in between his legs, her fingers stroking back rogue strands of hair from his face. "Is that okay?"

"You have no fucking idea how okay that is."

"Good." She whispered, her breath teasing the ear atop his head.

Kagome stepped back, creating a distance he couldn't easily reach her in, his ember eyes following her every move. She bent forward, unzipping the small booties at her ankles so she could kick her shoes off, swallowing the nerves that built up as she removed the cardigan from her shoulders. Her hands reached to the back of her neck, slowly sliding the zipper down as far as she could before re-situating her arms behind her to drag the metal clasp to the small of her back, the loosened, black fabric falling effortlessly from around her arms. Kagome pushed the cocktail dress down her hips until she was able to shimmy it to the floor, toeing the puddle of cloth to the side and allowing her boyfriend to look her over.

Inuyasha had to flex his jaw to make sure his mouth stayed closed, swallowing thickly as he took her all in. She stood before him in only her bra and panties, the colors of the undergarments matching, while the lacy designs on her bra differentiated them. Her creamy skin looked so bare, so touchable, that he found himself worried his rough hands would mar her skin insidiously in his enthusiasm, but as she approached to take up her former position in between his legs, he found his arms opening to welcome her in, gliding his palms around her thighs to hold her from the back. He never wanted to see streaks of red painting her perfect body, never wanted to be the cause of any blemishes or marks, but as she bent down to place a sweet and heartfelt kiss to his lips, he fully understood that when she said she wanted _him_ , she meant it.

She wanted all of him, demon claws be damned.

She quickly found herself breathless as his large, warm hands traveled up her body, feeling everything he could as her fingers fumbled over the buttons of his shirt, pushing the plastic through their respected loop and moving onto the next, traveling down the thick, plaid long sleeve until the front opened to show his black undershirt. The thin material helped Kagome feel more of him, her hands openly roaming over his chest, observing the muscles that twitched beneath, bringing her to eagerly push the button up from his shoulders and down his arms. The half demon helped her along, following her silent demands and taking it a step further as he pulled the black tee over his head, tossing it to the floor behind her. Before he could crush his mouth to hers again, she gazed down, taking the sight of his bare torso in, the ridges of his toned abdomen so defined that she couldn't help but softly rake her nails over them.

Watching her study him, watching her seemingly _enjoy_ nothing more than staring was pushing him over the edge. He couldn't just sit back anymore. He needed more of her. Kagome was going to be the death of him, and there was no better fucking way to go. He stood from his seat, her body only pushed back minutely by his rising, his mouth hovering just above hers as he dragged his fingers up her sides, following the curve of her waist until he grazed the band of her bra, switching directions and following the path around her back. Meeting in the middle, just above the dip her muscles created at her spine, he pinched the clasp, the garment coming loose immediately.

Kagome licked her lips, unexpectedly loving how his breath teased her cheeks. He was so close, all she had to do was arch her chin upward and they'd meet, but the hazy, half-lidded gaze he was giving her was too beautiful to look away from. She shrugged her shoulders, allowing the straps from her bra to fall, his hands guiding them down her arms and creating a faint trail of pebbles on her flesh along the way. Before Inuyasha looked down, took in the sight of, admired, what have you, he kissed her. He was steady and sure, his skin hot against her own, making her wish she could be pressed chest-to-chest with him for the remainder of the bitter winter.

Inuyasha wanted to feel every inch of Kagome. He wanted to taste her, explore her, and figure out everything that made her tick. He wanted to erase the fine creases her clothes created, the pads of his fingers tracing what her bra had formed, running from the middle of her back, under her arms, and just below her breasts. He felt her shudder as his thumb tickled the delicate skin, a sharp inhale coming from her nose as he moved to feel more, bringing his palms up around the side to feel the swell of flesh that was pressed so solidly against him. He kept inching upward, feeling her chest rise and fall with her slow, heated breaths, the sharp line of her collar bones, her throat, and ending at her jaw, his hands cradling it perfectly.

For the first time, he could feel himself becoming greedy. Inuyasha wanted to hear more of those little noises that escaped her throat when he kissed her harder, or slid his tongue against her own. He wanted to see how hard she would grip the belt loops of his jeans to pull him impossibly closer if he inched away, and he wanted to see just how powerful that heady scent she gave off would grow to be. This was her body's response to him and it had him throbbing, aching to experience all of her as slowly as he could. Inuyasha would drag this out as long as he needed to, just to make sure he took every tiny, minuscule part of her in.

He was guiding her, turning her, the backs of her legs now bumping the edge of the mattress as he gently tipped her onto it, the two of them skillfully crawling their way up to the heap of pillows at the top frame of her bed. They never lost contact, Kagome made sure of that. As soon as her head met a pillow, Inuyasha was pressed against her, his hands roaming up and down her sides, nails slightly catching on the edges of her panties as he traveled around her hips and down her leg, hitching a thigh around his waist as he wedged himself in between. His jeans chaffed wonderfully against her, catching at her skin as he rolled into a slow grind, her soft moan muted by his thick grunt. She wanted more. She didn't want anything dividing them. She wanted his body to leave an impression on hers, wanted the heat radiating from within his clothes to seer her through. Inuyasha was undeniably bringing her to the brink with nothing more than simple touches and and rugged grunts.

Kagome's hands fumbled along his sides, his hips twitching slightly as she accidentally grazed a ticklish spot at his ribs, quickly moving along to push at his jeans so he'd get the hint. The half demon shook his head, breaking the kiss, dipping to pay attention to her jawline and neck, painting the sensitive skin with licks and flicks of his tongue, his hot breath causing her to inadvertently open up so he wouldn't stop. Good god, she never wanted him to stop. Not once had she ever felt like this before. Not once had she felt so wholly succumbed and entirely entranced. Inuyasha was so good to her. For her. How did she get so lucky? How did she get gifted with something- _someone_ so wonderful? Kagome understood that the how and why were inexplainable, but she planned on never taking him for granted. She was still getting familiar with what it felt like to have a person that was yours and yours alone; not as a piece of property, but as a heart that completed yours and made you experience what it was to be alive. Every glance he'd given her over the last few weeks had her reeling. Every touch and connection had her indescribably happy. Kagome was falling- hard and fast. She was terrified and elated. Anxious and thrilled. She couldn't stop. A muffled thought told her to hold back, but there was no way she could control this. The more Inuyasha touched her, kissed her, learned her, cared for her, the quicker she slipped to her rapid downfall.

Again, Kagome pushed down his jeans as much as she could, the button still holding them firm to his hips. The half demon wasn't budging. He stayed firmly against her, his pelvis giving a small grind as he sucked at her collar bone, driving Kagome wild. She whimpered, feeling powerless and helpless to his taunting ministrations. Inuyasha chuckled against her skin, giving a small kiss to the area he'd been working on before pressing himself up to look at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, voice low and gruff. Kagome couldn't tear her eyes away from his, the beautiful hues swimming with something that absorbed her entirely. She smiled, nodding slowly.

"I'm sure."

Inuyasha kissed her lips, her chin, the front of her throat, the dip between her clavicles, her chest, and sternum before sitting upright to unbutton his jeans. He stopped halfway down his zipper, really taking in the sight of her for the first time since he'd removed her bra. She looked almost shy, like she was trying to resist her initial instinct to hide her exposed parts. Her arms were folded inward, her fingers nervously trekking over the opposite forearms that laid on top of her flat tummy, causing her breasts, plump and full, to squeeze together. Her shoulders were flexed upwards, one a little closer to her cheek than the other. Her skin was fair, barely any freckles, the fuzz on her arms so light, you'd hardly think she had any. There was a scar on her waist, sandy-colored, and he'd have to remember to ask her about that later but for now he just wanted to cover every inch of it in sweet kisses. Her stomach was toned, hips curvy, and thighs beautifully thick.

"Fuck, Kagome, you're gorgeous."

It took all of his willpower not to dive back down and continue where he left off, glad she was about to fill the atrocious gap for him as she sat up, taking her knees from the side of his legs and kneeling in front of him. Kagome's mouth went straight to his shoulder as her hands wandered over his abdomen, moving down to push the loosened denim below his butt. Her hands grazed the front of his hips softly, running over the cloth of his boxers and treading over the band that kept them secured.

Kagome enjoyed, more than anything so far, the way Inuyasha's defined muscles tensed beneath her touch, and the way his breath hitched a certain way when her fingers splayed out and reached closer to his hardened length. Moving slowly, she kissed up the side of his neck, using her tongue at the spots that caused his hands to tighten their grip on her hips. As soon as she reached his jaw, Inuyasha moved in, claiming her mouth, groaning as she rubbed his cock through his boxers.

He broke away as he gasped, a husky sound, but she quickly silenced him with another kiss, their lips moving in perfect synchrony. His hands went to the back of her neck, holding her to him as he moved against her heatedly, sighing out through his nose as Kagome reached into the waistband and skillfully tugged his length. His entire body shuddered, his pelvis rolling into her hand, his flesh scorching her palm and causing her to whimper out as his tongue shot into her mouth to taste her own.

"Please." Kagome muttered. The ache within her had become so powerful, so overwhelming, and she desperately needed it to be satiated.

Inuyasha didn't have the right to deny Kagome when she sounded this way. Without hesitation, he backed off the bed, kicked his jeans and boxers carelessly to the floor, and then pressed his body back into Kagome's, guiding her to lay against her pillows once more. Kagome fidgeted slightly, lifting her hips and shifting her panties down until she could flick them away, welcoming his body between her thighs. Inuyasha wanted to spend more time on her; kissing, tasting, teasing, exploring, but his time was up and they were both at their threshold.

He wanted to ask if she was comfortable, wanted to make sure she was ready, but the mewl from her throat and the way she grabbed his sides to press them together had him reeling, forgetting how to speak altogether. Inuyasha shifted, sliding inside of Kagome, slow and controlled. She arched her back the further he went, sighing out in what one would guess was relief. He swallowed her breath, crushing her lips with his own, moving against her while he propped one of her thighs above the line of his hip, thrusting in deeper, relishing in her gropes and muffled moans.

Kagome felt like she was burning up from the inside out. His body fit so perfectly against hers, rolling tantalizingly, meshing wonderfully, bringing her to experience a high she'd never had before. The half demon grunted thickly, biting into the curve where her neck and shoulder met. She couldn't help the whimper that slipped from her lips, trying to meet him thrust-for-thrust but failing to control her muscles as they began to tense and tremble. She was to the point where she didn't know what to do with her hands. They gripped the comforter, nails scraping the fluffed designs in the material, fumbled over the ridges of his back muscles, clutched his grinding hips, touching whatever she could as she was pushed closer and closer to climax with each and every second that passed. Finally, her hands found their home pressed against her mouth, trying to keep her voice down as an overwhelming sensation flooded over. Inuyasha had propped himself up on his hands, taking her at a different angle, quickening his pace and hardening his thrusts.

A shrill carried through her from her toes to the crown of her head, body writhing uncontrollably, thighs tensing against the half demon. He dipped his head down, whispering something sweet into her ear that made her orgasm all the more invigorating, her whines and cries seeping through her fingers as if they weren't even muffled.

Inuyasha was barely hanging on, the thread keeping him together thin, hardly sustainable, about to snap. He bucked against her harder, his murmurs turning into hoarse grunts as he crumpled over, every nerve ending in his body engulfed in electricity. Kagome sighed out his name, her voice like scissors to the string, and everything in him went completely ridged, his voice catching in his throat as he came.

—

The whistle from the wind outside seeped through Kagome's closed window, the sound noticeable in the silence of her bedroom. She should have been asleep. Her eyes would close on their own accord, comforted by Inuyasha's deep, steady breaths and unbelievably warm body pressed solidly against her back, but she didn't want to let her consciousness slip. He'd told her before that as a half demon, he didn't sleep much; he didn't need it nor want it. He didn't get worn out or fatigued easily like humans did. Yet, here he was, sleeping soundly while holding them together. She was enjoying his hot breath drawing patterns along her skin, the small twitches his body gave as he dreamt, the feeling of his arm tucked sturdily around her waist. Whenever she opened her eyes, they focused solely on that arm, his skin tone muted by the darkness. Kagome didn't want to sleep. She wanted to bathe in the absolute happiness she felt in this moment.

Ever since they began talking through their skin, Kagome kept a pen at bedside. The pen hadn't moved, even though those effects had faded away the moment their hands touched. If anyone asked her, she'd be more than willing to admit she missed the sensations. There were times where she felt faint tingling; when Inuyasha was approaching and even sometimes as they walked hand-in-hand, but nothing that resembled the prickling she felt then. It was fun communicating the way they did. It was exciting when she'd wake up to little messages on her palm.

She reached for the pen and scratched the cap of it against the heel of her hand, tickling the thin skin at the edge of her wrist. These sensations guided her to her soulmate. She felt so lucky, so thoroughly contented, so filled with something that was too soon to speak that although she missed the little aspects of the beginning of their relationship, she was also grateful he wouldn't receive her message.

Inuyasha stirred behind her, sighing out against her neck.

"What are you doing?" He mumbled, voice thick from sleep.

"Nothing." Kagome whispered, slowly drawing out the words with the ballpoint end.

"You're writing something."

She stopped, slightly taken aback that he knew, wondering for a moment if they'd actually faded away and slightly fearful that he'd see.

"I can still feel when you draw on your hands. Not like before, but still." Inuyasha continued, snuggling into the curve of her shoulder, his arm holding her tighter. "What did you write?"

"Nothing." She whispered again, keeping her hushed tone as soft as possible, relieved that it was only the sensations that kept them connected. She finished the third word, looking satisfyingly at her shadowed palm before rubbing her thumb to erase the context. "Just a reminder for tomorrow."

He grunted before placing a kiss to her naked flesh. Kagome sank into him, cradling her closed hand to her chest and finally allowing her eyes to drift shut.


End file.
